Make Me Believe the Outtakes
by bellasunderstudy1
Summary: This will be a few outtakes from the Fic. The 1st installment was done for the Support Stacie Author Auction. M for lemons.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **

**Disclaimer: SM owns all things Twilight, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Side note before I get into the outtake. I wanted to say a huge thank you to all of you who have sent your thoughts and prayers while my daughter has been ill and in hospital. If you reviewed the last chapter of MMB then you received a reply from me yesterday that Chapter 18 of the actual story will be delayed this week. As I said my daughter has been in hospital so my RL is a bit out of control. And for those who read the a/n at the end of ch 16 my school schedule was already pushing my writing time to the back burner so with this twist in RL it's been a little bit nuts around my house. The next chapter of MMB will be posted when it's ready, hopefully by early next week. Okay....on to the outtake.  
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**This is an outtake from Make Me Believe. This outtake was written for Bliltxgirl and Sassygeminimom for the Support Stacie Auction and they were generous enough to allow me to post it publicly. These ladies are awesome. I can't thank you enough for bidding on me and it was a pure joy to write a story for you both. Thank you for having the faith in me to offer up your donations to a wonderful cause and allow me to create a little Edward goodness for you. **

**Just a word to the wise to you the readers as I said this is an outtake for Make Me Believe and it is a snippet of some of Edward's experiences during his time in Georgia. It is not an E/B pairing and there is a lemon so if you are not a fan of Edward lovin' on anyone but Bella you've been warned. I would like to say that the story does give you a look into Edward at a time that otherwise is a mystery during MMB. So if you decide to brave the non E/B pairing you'll have a sense of where Edward was at a pivotal time in his life. **

**Thanks for more than I can tell you to my wonderful friend and beta Jessica1971.  
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**Again before you read any further this is not an E/B pairing. **

* * *

Because of you

EPOV.

I was nervous as hell when I admitted to Bella that I dated another girl in Georgia, but I was telling her the truth; Lynn had helped me in so many ways to figure my shit out. Although she and I hit it off from the very beginning, she seemed to know that my heart wasn't into a relationship with her or anyone outside of Bella. As I made my way to my room, the memories of Lynn and how we met flashed through my mind.

_I sat in my office drinking my fourth cup of coffee. I had been up for the last twenty four hours straight and it wasn't looking like I would be getting a break anytime soon. My shift in the clinic was supposed to have ended twelve hours ago but, being the newbie, I got stuck taking an on call shift when one of the senior vet's daughters went into labor and he left unexpectedly. _

_I stood and stretched, trying to work the kinks out of my back and the fatigue from my muscles. I really hadn't slept well in quite a while, but going totally without sleep was starting to wear on me. I took another sip of my coffee just as Gretchen, the clinic vet tech on duty this afternoon, stuck her head in my office. _

"_Edward?"_

"_Yeah, Gretchen, what's up?"_

"_That call we got a little bit ago about the lame horse?" she started and I nodded my acknowledgement, taking another long pull from my coffee cup. "They just got here. They're about to unload her now, just thought I'd let ya know." _

"_Thanks. I'll be out there in just a sec." I rubbed the back of my neck hoping to rid myself of the raging headache I could feel coming on._

"_You look like hell, Edward. Really, you need to get some sleep. Uh," she held up a hand to stop my argument. "I know you can't very well sleep when you're pulling the shift you have been today. What I meant was that you need to go home after you're finished and get some sleep. You can't keep going like you've been going lately. You're going to burn out and be useless to anybody around here."_

_She shot me a look that told me she knew I wasn't sleeping even when I had the opportunity. Gretchen reminded me a lot of my mother. She was a good ten years younger than Esme, but she had_ _the mother hen thing down to a science. Gretchen had been working in the clinic at UGA for years and had seen many new veterinarians come and go through the program. I knew her advice was something I should take to heart. Really, if I could sleep, I would love to catch even a cat nap, but it just didn't seem that my mind would shut off at night._

_I walked out the back door of the clinic just as a pretty blonde was leading a beautiful black and white paint down the ramp of a Sundowner trailer. I noticed the horse was lame in its left front leg. I did a quick assessment of its gait, getting a preliminary idea of what might be the issue before getting the background information. _

_As I got closer to where Gretchen stood with who I assumed was the horse's owner. I heard Gretchen telling her that we would take good care of her horse. Up to that point her face had been a mask of concern and fear, I'm sure due to the fact she was worried about her horse. _

_I noticed that the girl she was speaking to had the most beautiful smile as her face broke with relief at Gretchen's reassurances. She was really quite cute with her dark blonde hair and sparkling eyes, I wasn't sure if they were green or blue. The closer I got I could see they were a dazzling hazel color. I wondered how old she was because she looked quite young. _

_From what I could see, the horse was having a difficult time holding any weight on the left front leg. From a distance there didn't seem to be any obvious swelling. _

_Gretchen noticed me then and turned to introduce me to the owner and her friend who was now holding the lead for the horse._

"_Oh, Lynn, this is Dr. Edward Cullen. He'll be taking care of Cricket here." _

_I offered my hand, smiling, and said, "It's very nice to meet you, Lynn." _

_She took my hand and smiled in return, but she dropped her eyes from my gaze as though she were suddenly shy and released my hand._

"_So, tell me what's going on with Cricket here. I noticed she's lame in her left front here." _

_I ran a hand down Cricket's leg as I listened to Lynn recount the details of what had happened to her horse and how she came to bring her into the clinic. As I reached the tendons of Cricket's leg, she immediately flinched. I could feel they were slightly swollen and warm to the touch._

"_You were at an event, you say?"_

"_Yeah, Cricket's my best pole bending and barrel horse. We ran an event last night and she seemed fine, but then this mornin' when I went in to feed she was lame as a duck." Lynn had stepped closer to me while I was examining Cricket._

_We discussed the possibilities of the injury that Cricket had most likely endured. My gut told me that she had strained the tendons in her leg and would just need a long stall rest as well as some anti-inflammatory treatment. Lynn was relieved that I didn't think it was anything more serious._

"_Well, no, I don't think it is but I would really like to do a couple of x-rays just to be sure we don't have a cracked bone or anything more serious than the tendons, but I think we can take care of this pretty simply." I reassured Lynn of my diagnosis and the reasons for running tests to be sure._

_Three hours later, Lynn's friend Leann was loading Cricket back on the trailer as Gretchen gave Lynn final directions for home care. As I watched her trailer pulling out of the parking lot, I had the strangest sensation as the taillights disappeared in the distance. _

_I really liked Lynn. She was a nice girl and I hadn't been around a _nice _girl in a long time. _

_I shook my head as the thoughts of the girl with the pretty smile flashed through my mind and made my way back to my office to write up my notes on Cricket's chart._

_A week later I was still finding myself thinking about the cute girl with the easy smile and the tinkling laugh. I couldn't seem to get her out of my mind. We talked about her horse the entire time but there was something that I felt drawn to. She was funny and didn't take herself so seriously. I still wondered how old she was as I remembered thinking she was probably pretty young. But looks were deceiving, so it was possible she was older than I thought. The thought of looking up her number and just calling to check on Cricket had crossed my mind several times over the last few days. I had never done anything like that and it was really unprofessional. _

_Though I could technically justify calling just to check on Cricket. Of course that would be totally professional, right?_

_A pang of guilt over those thoughts shot through me, but it didn't seem to stop my next move as I thumbed through the files and located the correct one, opening it up and reading through her information until I found her number. I jotted down what was on her intake forms, praying it was her number and not her boyfriend's, or worse her father's and she was younger than I thought._

_That would be just your luck, Cullen._

_I snorted at the possibility and the fact that it truly would be just my luck. I would get some irate father on the phone wanting to know why a twenty five year old man is calling his teenage daughter. I groaned to myself at the thought that she might actually be a teenager. Well, there was really only one way to find out and that was to call her up._

_I pulled the phone out of my pocket and dialed as I walked to my car once my shift was over. _

_After the third ring, I was just about to hang up when I heard a tiny voice come over the line._

"_Hello?" I repeated._

"_Hi, um….who is this?"_

_I struggled with the urge to just hang up. This was wrong on so many levels._

"_Edward Cullen," I paused, "I treated Cricket a week or so ago. Um…is this Lynn?"_

I laughed at myself, remembering that first awkward conversation. I know she thought I had lost my fucking mind, but we made plans to meet for drinks the next weekend. Thankfully she was twenty two years old, because that was definitely one worry I did not need. My mind flashed back to my reaction after calling Lynn and making plans to go out. I snorted at the slight panic attack I suffered and called one of my fraternity brothers that recently moved to Athens. Demetri and I became friends while at Auburn. We were brothers in the same fraternity, but that didn't always mean you got along with one another. There were a few of my so called 'brothers' that I fucking hated. Demetri and I had hit it off during rush week during our freshman year. He was just funny and, if I was honest, he reminded me a lot of Emmett. He always had a smile on his face. We were both struggling with being away from home. He was there when I came back after I broke things off with Bella. He knew more of my secrets than anyone, even now he was probably the only one who knew why I was a changed person when I came back for the next semester our freshman year.

"_Demetri," I moaned into the phone, completely exasperated at my actions. I really couldn't believe I had just made a date with a client. It was not an ethical thing to do. _

"_Eddie," he said and I groaned again because he knew how much I hated that name and he did that shit just to piss me off. He laughed loudly. "What's up, man?"_

"_Man, I swear to god I may have just done the dumbest thing I have done in a really long time."_

_Truly I was freaking out. I knew Lynn was a good girl and I wanted to get to know her better, but I was hesitant. Good girls only got hurt and I didn't want to hurt Lynn. I didn't have the best track record with women. I was more the "love 'em and leave 'em" kind of guy and I knew that this girl wasn't that type. In the little bit of time I spent with her, I knew that much about her._

"_What the hell did you do, Edward?" Demetri laughed again, knowing that I also had a tendency to be dramatic, or so he accused me of being more like a chic than I was comfortable with. _

_I proceeded to explain to him about meeting Lynn when she came to the clinic and how I had procured her number in the covert way of taking it from her file. He laughed at my theatrics and told me to stop being such a pussy and just go out with the girl. _

"_Damn boy, I swear sometimes you're more work than a chic. I should have gone for a psychology degree instead of the DVM just to deal with your shit." _

"_Shut the fuck up D. I'm being serious here. This girl's a good girl. I'm gonna screw this up, ya know," I sighed, running a hand through my hair._

"_No, you're not. This doesn't have to be anything more than you getting to know a girl that you're interested in. Nothing more, nothing less, Edward. Stop freakin' out and just go have a good time. You don't have to fuck her, ya know. You could just get to know her and see what happens." He scolded with that tone he used when he lectured me about women and my less than stellar activities._

"_Yeah, I know D," I said._

_I felt somewhat better about going out with Lynn after hanging up with Demetri. I knew we would have a great time because she was a lot of fun; I already knew that from the short conversation we had on the phone. _

Lying down in bed, I smiled thinking about our first date and how much fun it was. I was right about Lynn; she was a really good girl. She was smart and funny. Her eyes had a sparkle in them when she laughed and her nose crinkled in the cutest way when she smiled. Getting to actually know a girl was something I hadn't bothered to do in a very long time. She was actually the only girl that I tried to have something more with since Bella. The others were just…. what they were, but Lynn could have been more.

"_Hey you," she giggled as I wrapped my arms around her, leaning down to place a kiss on her cheek as she reached up to pat my cheek._

"_Hey yourself," I chuckled, looking down at the counter trying to figure out exactly what it was she was so wrapped up in that she hadn't heard me knocking at the door. "What are you doing?" _

_She laughed and began explaining that she was attempting to make an apple pie from scratch. The following day was July fourth and she was trying to make the pie to take to her parents for lunch. _

_Lynn and I had been dating for a few months now and I was expected to be at her family get together. I was slightly nervous about that as I wasn't exactly comfortable around her father. He was a Georgia State Patrol officer and, to be honest, he scared the shit out of me. I mean really, the man had a gun and I was sure that he knew how to make it look like self defense or an accident or some shit if I just suddenly ended up dead._

_Lynn and Leann lived in a condo near campus. They were both juniors. Leann was going into social services and Lynn was getting a degree in forensic science. Like I said, the girl was smart. _

_Leann entered the room and clicked her tongue at me, laughing._

"_Geez Edward, get off the girl so she can cook." She winked at me, taking a bottle of water from the fridge._

_I chuckled, placing another kiss on Lynn's cheek before releasing her._

"_So, you and D got plans tonight?" I questioned as I took a seat on one of the stools at the bar, reaching over the raised counter to grab and apple from the pie plate where Lynn had placed them in preparation for the top crust she was rolling out at the time. She slapped my hand away, scolding me for messing with her prized concoction. I laughed and threw the apple slice in my mouth, winking at her. She giggled and shook her head._

"_Nothing that I know of, why? You got something in mind?" Leann sat down on the stool next to me, taking a slice of apple out of the pie as well._

_We both laughed as Lynn huffed at us, exasperated with our thievery. _

"_Dammit you two, stop or there's not going to be anything left for the stinkin' pie!" She tried to scold us but ended up laughing herself as Leann and I held in our laughter, trying to look ashamed of our actions. It obviously wasn't working. _

"_Wel,l there's a band playing at the 40 watt I thought we might go check out." I stood, walking over to the fridge to grab a bottle of water._

"_Oh! Yeah, that sounds like fun. I'll go call Demetri now and make sure he hasn't made plans I don't know about. I'll let ya know in a little bit, 'k?" Leann hopped off her stool and made her way toward her room down the hall._

"_Yeah, that sounds good," I called to her as I heard her bedroom door close._

_Leann and Demetri met a couple of weeks after my first date with Lynn. Neither one of them was dating anyone and hadn't been for a while, so Lynn and I thought it might be interesting if the two of them met and hit it off, which they did. They started dating that day and pretty much were inseparable ever since._

"_So, is that alright with you?" I asked Lynn as I walked over and placed my hands on the counter on either side of her, effectively trapping her and pressing my body into hers._

"_Hm," she hummed and leaned back into me. "Yeah, that sounds like a lot of fun."_

_She turned her head, placing a kiss on my neck. _

"_But if you don't let me finish this pie for tomorrow, I'm not going to be able to go anywhere with anyone. So scoot and go find something to occupy yourself until I'm finished." _

_I chuckled and placed another kiss on her shoulder before pushing off the counter and heading to the living room, turning the TV to ESPN and plopping down on the couch._

_Several hours later, we pulled up at The 40 Watt club. The parking lot was full and I drove around looking for a spot. With the holiday the following day there were a lot of tourists in the area, as if the bars around this town weren't crowded enough on a regular basis._

_I had just bought the Audi S5 a few weeks before, so I wasn't exactly excited about parking it near so many cars with drunk ass owners who would be coming into the lot at the end of the night. Finally finding a spot that was as good as it was going to get, I cut the engine and smiled at Lynn. Leaning across the console to kiss her cheek before climbing out of the car, I heard her little laugh as I opened her door. _

"_What?" I smiled at her, offering my hand._

"_Nothing," she smiled back at me, shaking her head. "Just….you're so cute sometimes."_

_I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her in for a quick hug before draping an arm around her shoulders and walking to the club. I laughed, looking over my shoulder and taking in the sight of Demetri and Leann wrapped around one another._

"_Don't you scratch my car, asshole," I called to Demetri as I could see him pushing her backwards toward the car._

_They broke apart; I guess getting called out on their antics surprised them. Leann giggled and buried her head in Demetri's chest as he made a very inappropriate gesture. Shaking my head, I turned to place a kiss to Lynn's hair and laughed into the sandy blonde curls. I took a deep breath. I loved the scent of her hair, it reminded me of something. It was comforting._

_I hoped that Lynn hadn't noticed the sign advertising the band that was playing tonight. She had mentioned sometime back that she really liked the new band Sugarland. Seeing as they were local but up and coming it was a big deal for them to be at The 40 watt tonight. The moment she noticed them she stopped dead in her tracks, turning to look at me with a wide eyed expression and a huge smile on her face. _

"_Oh My God! No you didn't!" _

_And she lunged for me, wrapping her arms around my neck and pressing her lips to mine. I laughed and wrapped my arms around her, holding her to me. Her curvy body molded to mine, her full breasts pressed against my chest had me ready to take her back home and allow her to thank me properly. _

"_I take it you're happy about this?" I asked as I broke the connection, brushing my lips over her cheek and to her ear. "You could just take me home now and thank me," I whispered in her ear._

_I felt as much as heard the moan that escaped her as my hands roamed down her back, over her full hips, and cupping her ass to draw her even closer to me._

"_Edward," she sighed, and I knew if I pressed the issue we definitely would not be staying for the concert._

_I chuckled against her neck, pressing my lips once more just where her shoulder met her neck before releasing her and leading her into the bar._

_I paid the cover and we made our way over to the bar. Demetri and Leann joined us as we found a table with a really good view of the stage._

_I poured each of us a beer and we settled in to wait for Jennifer and Christian to take the stage. _

_The club went wild as they took the stage only minutes after we got seated. The music was amazing and, before I knew what was happening, the girls had Demetri and I on the dance floor. The way Lynn moved her body had me going out of my mind after only a few minutes. Her back was turned to me as she was dancing with Leann, both girls laughing and holding onto one another as they moved around each other. It was amazing to watch them dance. Demetri and I stood back, enjoying the show for only a few minutes before the girls realized we were watching and not dancing. They danced over to us and I caught the look in Demetri's eyes as Leann brought her body flush with his and slid around to stand behind him. The man almost came undone right there on the floor._

_I laughed loudly and he glared at me before an evil smirk came across his face. I felt a hand on my chest, catching my attention, and I turned my head to look down into the hazel eyes of the little vixen before me. _

_I smirked at her as she began swaying her hips to the beat of the music, dropping down halfway to the floor and sliding her body up mine as she stood, never breaking eye contact. Lynn was sometimes self-conscious about her body but I found her sexy as hell. She could move like nothing I had seen._

_My breathing sped up and I felt my pants begin to tighten. She giggled, knowing full well what she was doing to me. I ran my hands down her back, relishing the feel of her voluptuous curves under my touch and pulled her a little tighter to me as we moved to the music._

_We danced a while longer before returning to our table._

_An hour and two pitchers of beer later we were having a blast. Sugarland put on an unbelievable show. _

_I hopped off my chair, grabbing Lynn by the hand and pulling her out onto the dance floor as they slowed the mood of the music down. _

_She was laughing as I wrapped my arms around her and began leading her around the floor, the sound of Jennifer Nettles voice echoing throughout the room as she ran her hands up my chest and linked her fingers behind my neck. Resting her head on my shoulder as we swayed to the music, I was lost in the sounds of the music and the feel of the woman in my arms. _

_Leaning down, I whispered to her, "Let's get out of here." _

_Her only response was to nod her head and step away; she took my hand and led the way off the dance floor and out the door._

_I wasn't worried about Demetri and Leann getting home. His apartment was within walking distance of the bar and I knew they weren't coming back to the girls' condo tonight. _

_We got to her house in record time. I probably shouldn't have been driving, but in all honesty out of the two pitchers of beer I only drank two beers. So technically I was fine to drive home._

_I moved the hair away from her neck as she was placing the key in the door and began placing open mouthed kisses at the curve of her neck and shoulder, lightly dragging my lips up to the shell of her ear. I knew that drove her crazy and I wasn't disappointed in her response_

_We barely made it in the door before she turned and attacked my lips with the same need and desire I worked to suppress over the afternoon and evening. I finally could let that go and I didn't even try to stop the moan of pleasure that fell from me when she licked and nipped her way down my neck, unbuttoning my shirt as she continued to follow her hands with her mouth and tongue. _

_We had only been together a few times and every time had been amazing, but there was a different tenor to her caresses tonight. There was an urgency that had not been there in the past and, though I was enjoying the effects, I wasn't sure where it was coming from._

_My hands rested on her full hips as I pressed my erection into her, getting a moan from her, I hissed as the need for more overtook all my conscious thought._

_We walked locked in a kiss to her bedroom. I pushed the door open with one hand, kicked it closed with my foot, then reaching back and clicking the lock but never breaking our kiss. I brushed my tongue along her bottom lip once again before taking it into my mouth and sucking gently. I grazed it with my teeth then released it and moved down to worship her neck and shoulder. As the back of her knees hit the edge of the bed, she lowered herself slowly and I had to pull away so she could scoot up the bed. I crawled over her body. I supported myself on one arm as I settled between her legs and my fingers danced across her abdomen running the tips under the hem of her shirt. I pushed it up, revealing her lightly tanned stomach. I leaned down to place a kiss to her skin, brushing my nose along the softness of her stomach, enjoying the way her body quivered under my touch. With my hand and my face, I pushed her shirt until her voluptuous breasts were revealed to me. She slipped her shirt over her head in a fluid movement. _

_I took in the sight of the sexy as hell green lace bra she was wearing. I quickly unclasped that infernal thing. As much as I loved to look at her body in the lingerie, I liked it more without the interference. _

"_Mmmm, you're so sexy," I whispered against the swell of her breast. _

_She pushed my shirt down my arms and I shook it off as I brushed my lips over her nipple, feeling it pebble. She released a breathy moan and ran her fingers through my hair as she squirmed under me. I ran my free hand down her side to the waist of her jeans, popping the button and slowly lowering the zipper. I groaned at the feel of the lacy panties under her jeans. She always wore the sexiest boy shorts that drove me insane with the way they hugged her curves. She raised her hips so I could slip her jeans over her hips and down her legs. I unbuckled my belt and pushed my jeans and boxers to the floor, stepping out of them as I climbed back onto the bed. _

_Wrapping my hand around her ankle, I brought it to my mouth. Looking into her eyes, I began kissing my way up her leg, nipping at the skin of her calf. When I reached the soft skin behind her knee, she whimpered as I ran my tongue along the crease in the silkiness there. I continued brushing my lips up her inner thigh, pausing to suck, lick, and nip at the skin, slowly making my way to where I knew she wanted my mouth. _

"_Oh God, Edward," she moaned as I ghosted my nose across her pubic bone and her hips bucked._

_She fisted the sheets at her sides as I used my teeth to remove her panties. I lost myself in the softness of her skin, in the scent of her sex, as I moved down her body once again. I kissed my way back up the opposite leg and continued on my way across her abdomen and took one nipple in my mouth. I caressed the other with my hand, rolling the taut skin between my thumb and forefinger. She cried out when I bit down gently and then ran the flat of my tongue across the overly sensitive skin. I placed a kiss to the center of her chest and then took the other nipple in my mouth, giving it the same attention as I ran a hand down her side, across her hip to her lower abdomen. She sucked in a sharp breath as I slowly moved my hand over her slick, overheated skin._

_I ran a finger up her slit, teasing her opening and applying pressure to her swollen clit with my thumb. _

"_Oh, unggg…." she moaned as I brought my lips back to hers._

_Slipping a finger inside I found the spot I knew would have her begging for more and as I curled my fingers she cried out. I smiled against her lips and covered her mouth with mine, swallowing her sounds. _

"_Please, Edward, I need you now," she begged as I broke the kiss and nipped at the skin of her neck._

_I climbed off the bed, fumbling with my jeans to find my wallet and pulling out the condom. _

_I tore the package and rolled it on before crawling back over her body. I positioned myself between her legs, covering her mouth with mine and sucking on her bottom lip as she wrapped her arms around my neck. _

"_Oh god," I groaned as my dick brushed across her wet sex._

_I ran one hand down her side, over her sensous curves, caressing her thigh and grabbing her knee, then hitching it over my hip as I pushed inside her. We both groaned in pleasure as I slowly pushed in a little at a time._

_She raked her nails down my back and I hissed at the sensations it sent through my body._

"_Yes, Edward," she cried._

_I couldn't hold back any longer with her sounds and the need I had fought throughout the day. _

_I pulled out and slammed back in deeper than I was before. We rocked together, building until we fell into the white abyss of pleasure. She curled into my side with a contented sigh, it wasn't long before I heard the deep rhythm of her breathing and knew she was a sleep I followed shortly afterwards with her wrapped in my arms._

Things started changing between us over the next couple of months. There was a shift in our relationship that I didn't understand at the time. And she had begun to realize that I couldn't give her more than what we had at that time. Lynn started asking questions about things I didn't understand. I couldn't figure out where they were coming from. I became increasingly uncomfortable because she made me think about situations I wasn't prepared to deal with. The mistakes I had made were obvious when she made me look at them. Eventually Lynn helped me remember where my heart truly was and see that the decisions I made were all wrong. We ended things and it hurt both of us but it was the right thing. I cared for Lynn deeply, but knew I didn't love her.

When I returned to Athens after that horrible Christmas trip home, Lynn was gone. I tried to contact her a few days after I got back into town, leaving several messages. It was wrong because I knew I could never love her but I was already becoming the selfish bastard I turned into over the next couple of years. I wanted her there to catch me as I fell. God knows I fell hard when I returned to Georgia, my heart was broken beyond all repair and I threw myself into a bottle.

After not hearing from her for several days, I finally broke and called Demetri. I hoped he could at least tell me if she was okay. I knew that he and Leann had gone to his parents for the holiday but were supposed to be home the day after New Years. I had no right to check on her, but she was a good friend and I was worried about her. I knew I hurt her but I needed her to be there. I snorted to myself as I thought about how truly selfish I had been and that was just another of the ways I exhibited my continued slide into self absorption and isolation from those I cared about.

When I finally got in touch with Demetri, he explained that Lynn had left the day after Christmas. She had accepted an offer for a full scholarship at Florida State. He said she got my messages but felt it was better if we made a clean break and that my decisions had been made, it would be easier on us both if we didn't have any further contact. Leann got on the phone and explained that Lynn wasn't upset over the way we ended things, she just felt that it was better this way. And she was right. I wasn't in any shape to be anywhere near her or anyone else at that time.

A few weeks after I had tucked tail and ran back to Georgia, I got a letter from Lynn. At the time I was wallowing and drowning my heartache.

The letter was pure Lynn.

She had a knack for calling me out on my shit. Though I wasn't ready to hear her words at the time, I could never forget them.

_Dearest Edward;_

_I'm so very sorry I wasn't there when you came back to Georgia. I just couldn't be there this time, Edward. The move to Florida was honestly something that I contemplated for a really long time. I was given an offer and I had to take it. I know it seemed sudden to you, but honestly I applied there before coming to UGA and it just didn't work out at the time. They had the opening now and I took it. It's a great opportunity for me and I really think I'll be happy here._

_Edward, I'm so sorry for what happened between you and Bella. I know that was difficult for you. Yeah, yeah I know about it. Leann called me shortly after you got back into town and told me what happened. I can't tell you how truly, truly sorry I am things didn't work out as you had hoped. _

_You're a good man, Edward. You need to remember that fact and don't forget how good you are deep inside. I know you're wallowing in your doubts and thinking about all the ways you messed up with Bella and _us_. Honey, you know as well as I do there wasn't ever really an _us_. That doesn't change how I feel about you, but we both know that you've only ever loved one woman. And that's okay, really, because I want you to know how much I thank you for showing me how to love someone. For helping me to realize that I deserve to find a man that loves me as much as you love Bella. _

_I'm sorry it wasn't with you that I found that, but you helped open my eyes to the way it should be. I love you for that and there will always be a special place in my heart for you. I know that you weren't the one for me, but because of you I know that there is someone out there. Thank you for being a good friend, a good man, Edward. Don't forget that, because I know what you're doing right now and I have no doubt that you're sitting in your room with a bottle of some sort thinking that you'll find the answer at the bottom. But you won't, and you know that. Don't lose yourself, Edward; don't lose what makes you who you are. Bella will come back to you one day; I know that, just as I know that somewhere out there is my _Edward_. And because of you I know I'll find him. Take care of yourself. _

_Love you always,_

_Lynn_

I couldn't wrap my head around her words at the time. She was right about so many things. She was right about the fact that I was looking for the answers and some salve for my soul at the bottom of a bottle of Jack. She was more right than I wanted to admit that I wouldn't find what I was looking for there.

But most of all, now that I could look back on our time and see it for what it was I needed her in my life. And just as she said to me, Lynn would always hold a special place in my heart. I also knew I would have only hurt her more if she were there when I returned.

It took me months to come out of the stupor I drank myself into after that Christmas trip home. Thankfully Demetri helped me out of that and I was able to keep my job only because he dragged my ass out of bed every day for two months, making sure I was at least somewhat presentable. But even after I sobered up I couldn't bring myself to carry on any kind of normal life outside the clinic. I couldn't get past the hurt and the anger at the time to see what anyone was trying to help me understand. I didn't really understand what Lynn was telling me in her letter at the time, but now I did; now I knew she saw something in what she and I had shared and in my feelings for Bella that I couldn't.

Demetri called a few months ago to tell me Lynn had met a great guy at school in Florida and that she was getting married later this year. I really couldn't have been happier for her. I was glad she had found a man that could see her for what she was, a great person with a huge heart. She deserved it as much as anyone I had ever known. As I drifted off to sleep, I appreciated even more what a great friend Lynn had really been to me. And with a smile on my face, I thanked god she had been right, my Bella was coming back to me.

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**A/N:**

**Okay so there it is....I hope you enjoyed it. **

**Again I have to say thank you to Bliltxgirl and Sassygeminimom for allowing me to spin this little story for them. Thank you ladies for being super amazing. Smooches to you both!!**

**One last thing: I posted in the last chapter of MMB about the Fandom Gives Back. The auction threads are open for viewing the bidding will begin November 15th through November 20th. I have offered up an outtake o/s of buyers choice. It can be from MMB, or either of my contest entry o/s. Take a look at the blog there are some awesome authors offering up great stuff. So check it out, it's for a great cause and you can't go wrong with helping a child. **www(dot)thefandomgivesback(dot)com


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight. No copyright infringement is intended. I own this storyline and not a whole lot else. =)**

**This was written for Heatherdawn as part of the Fandom Gives Back auction. She was the winning bidder for an MMB outtake. So I have to send her much love for bidding and winning. Thank you for helping to raise money for fighting childhood cancer. And thank you for spending your hard earned money for my words, there are no words that I have to say thank you for that. *mwah***

**To my amazing beta Jessica1971. As you know I love ya more than I can tell ya. Thanks for all you do!! **

**This outtake takes place a few days before Edward leaves for college. In essence this is a snippet of time in our favorite couples last few days together. I hope you enjoy. =)  
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Bad moon rising…

EPOV

I anxiously waited while the phone rang. Today needed to be special. I wanted to make Bella understand how much I loved her and how that wouldn't change once I left for school.

"Hello," Bella's voice came to me as she answered her cell.

"Hey, baby," I released the breath I was holding and smiled.

Bella and I made plans to go for a ride this morning. We needed to spend some time together, just the two of us, before I left for Auburn next week. The summer had been amazing but now as the days drew closer to my leaving, I could see the look of dread creeping into Bella's eyes. I did everything I could to reassure her that nothing would change just because we weren't going to be in the same state anymore, though I would be lying if I didn't admit I was nervous about how we would make it work. But we had to make it work, I couldn't see a future that didn't include Bella in my life, so there wasn't really a choice. We just had to get through the next few years and maybe Bella would decide to attend Auburn for her degree when the time came. She was still undecided about where she would go next year, although there were several schools already interested in her for their rodeo teams. It was likely, as much as I would love for her to come to Auburn with me, that she would choose one of the schools closer to home.

"I just wanted to let you know I was on my way. I just got Chief loaded up and I'll be there in a bit, are you ready?"

"Okay, yeah, I'm not quite ready," Bella giggled. "I sort of overslept and then momma packed us a lunch and I had to get all that together. So I'm running a little behind."

"It's alright, I'll be there in a little bit." I paused for a moment, "Hey, Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

I heard a soft sigh before she spoke.

"I love you too, Edward," my heart skipped a beat at the sound of her breathy voice.

Hanging up the phone, I set the latch on the trailer door before settling in and starting up the truck. I wanted today to be just about Bella and I because the next couple of days would be really hard for both of us. There were times I almost wanted to rethink my decision of going all the way to Alabama and take my undergraduate studies closer to home. This was one of those times.

BPOV

I smiled as I ended the call. There were times when my love for Edward took my breath away and today was one of those days. The time we spent together this summer was beyond amazing, but I couldn't wait to be able to get him all to myself today. We really had next to zero time together, just us, for the entire summer. Between Edward's working for the local veterinary office and my rodeo schedule there was just so little time. And now....Edward would be leaving in a few short days. My heart constricted at the thought of how things were bound to change; regardless of how much we wanted things to be the same, they just weren't going to be.

"Hey, baby girl, what'cha all doe eyed about so early in the morning?" Emmett wrapped a massive arm around me in a head lock.

"GAH! Em, stop it!" I screeched as he proceeded to rub his knuckles over the top of my head.

"OW! God, Bella! That shit hurts!" Emmett squealed as he released me and rubbed the spot on his chest where I had pinched and twisted his skin.

"Emmett Swan! Language! Good lord, will you stop. It is too early in the morning for the two of you to be rough housing like that." Renee's voice wafted to us from the hallway before she entered with a stern look on her face, directed at my hulk of a brother.

"Yes, ma'am, sorry." Emmett shot me a look and picked up his breakfast plate before heading to the table.

Being the ever mature person I am, I giggled and stuck my tongue out at him.

"Bella, did you get everything out of the 'fridge I packed up for you and Edward?" my mom asked as she poured herself another cup of coffee.

"Yes, ma'am. I've got it all in my saddle bags. I just talked to Edward, he'll be here in a little bit. I was just on my way out to the barn to get saddled up before he gets here."

I placed the last of the bottled water in my bags and closed them up as Renee crossed the room to stand beside me.

"Bella, are you okay? I know the next few days are going to be really hard for you and Edward." Renee wore an understanding smile on her face as she wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into her side.

_How is it that your mother always knows how to cut right to the one thing you don't want to talk about?_

I took a deep steadying breath before slapping a big smile on my face and nodded, "Yeah, momma, I'm fine. Things are going to be okay. I know it won't be easy, but it's going to be fine."

I figured the more I told myself that, I could maybe start to believe it and figured saying it out loud wouldn't hurt either. Renee hugged my shoulders once more before releasing me to sit with Emmett at the table.

I made my way out the back door. I was just stepping inside the aisle way of the barn when I heard Edward coming up the drive.

_Seriously, he drives like a maniac. _I shook my head laughing, because even pulling a trailer Edward drove too fast.

I dropped the saddle bags to the ground, turning to walk back out to meet Edward.

"Hey, baby," I skipped over to the truck just as Edward was opening the door, a smile breaking across his beautiful face.

_I don't know what it is that I've done to have this boy as mine, but I sure am glad I did it._

"Hey, darlin," Edward laughed as I launched myself into his arms, wrapping my legs around him and pressing my lips to his. "Wow," he breathed when I pulled away, breaking our kiss. "What brought that on? Not that I'm complaining, mind you. I just want to make sure I do it again," he teased. Edward's green eyes twinkled with mischief and he wore that crooked grin I loved so much. Edward's arms were wrapped around me holding me tight to his body and I felt his fingers dip under the hem of my T-shirt to ghost along the skin just above my jeans, causing me to shiver.

"I'm just happy you're here, that's all." I smiled and tightened my limbs around him, pressing my body ever closer to his.

Just as Edward's head began to lean toward me, I heard someone clear their throat behind me.

"Bella," the oh too familiar voice of my father was sharp and held a warning that was loud and clear. I looked at Edward to see he held the same deer in the headlights look I'm sure was on my face.

I instantly dropped my legs to the ground and Edward's hands were off me faster than I thought humanly possible. I turned to look at my father, who stood just outside the barn and was making his way toward where Edward and I stood.

"Um...Hello, sir," Edward stammered.

"Morning daddy. I...I didn't know you were at the barn already.....you not eating breakfast with momma and Em this morning?" I hoped that steering the conversation away from the precarious position my father had just caught Edward and I in would be the safest bet at the moment. But from the look on Charlie's face, he wasn't taking the bait.

"That, young lady, is not how your mother and I have raised you to behave," Charlie scowled at me with every emotion possible flashing across his face before he turned his gaze on Edward. "Is that what you expect from my daughter, Edward? I thought Esme and Carlisle would have-"

"Oh good grief, Charlie, let them be. They're young and in love. For Pete's sake, it's no worse than the way we used to greet one another. Now come on, breakfast is getting cold." Renee winked at me as Charlie opened and closed his mouth several times before grunting and following her through the back door into the kitchen.

Thank God for my mother.

"Oh. My. God." I giggled, turning to bury my face in Edward's chest as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders. "That was absolutely the most embarrassing thing I have ever...." I laughed, unable to control the embarrassed giggles escaping me.

"Holy shit, I thought he was gonna kill me." Edward released a heavy breath. He was terrified of my father for reasons I didn't quite understand. Charlie was always very fond of Edward and kind of took him under his wing when he first came to live with Carlisle and Esme after his parents were killed.

"Come on, we better get going before Charlie thinks of some way to sneak away from Renee and come back out to finish his fatherly speech," I laughed, pulling away from Edward and patting his chest. "You get Chief unloaded and I'll go get saddled up real quick, 'k?" I snickered again at Edward's wide eyed stare toward the house. I stood on my tiptoes to kiss his lips quickly before running into the barn, grabbing the saddle bags where they lay on the ground as I passed.

Three hours later we were half way to our favorite spot on the river. Edward and I happened on a secluded little area off to itself away from the place that we all went as a group when we were just kids. It was the perfect place to go for a picnic and was special to us for many reasons. As far as we knew, no one else had ever found it. We liked to think it was ours alone. Edward and I spent a lot of hours there over the years, even before we were a couple. Edward and I had always been close, but after his parent's were killed, when he first came to live with Carlisle and Esme, he was different. Understandably so, but at ten years old I didn't understand that as much and I wanted my friend. So I did everything I could to get him out of his shell. We would take off on our own, just riding around our ranch and down by the river. It was on one of those adventures that we found our special place.

In the middle of the river there was an old rock fish trap. It's basically a huge V in the middle of the river built from river rock which created a sort of chute where the fish only have one small opening to get down the river and that's where the Native Americans would stand and spear the fish as they gathered at the mouth of the V. When Edward and I first found it, we would sit and make up stories about all the people who had sat in that very place before us. We would daydream about all the adventures all those people must have had out on the frontier. Our place was where he first talked to me about the death of his parents, where he first told me he loved me, and the place we first made love. So.....yeah, it was special. And that's where we were headed today.

Edward was leaving and I had to be honest with myself, things were never going to be the same. I knew it in my bones that once Edward left for college it would change things in more ways than just him being in another state. I don't know why, I just knew it, but I pushed the painful thoughts of what those changes would mean for us to the back of my mind as we topped the ridge and our special hideaway came into view.

"Hey," Edward's soft voice brought me out of my musings. "Wha'cha thinking about?"

I smiled as Edward took my hand, holding it as we rode close to one another, our fingers linking and hanging between where we sat looking down into the little valley that created our little bit of heaven.

"I was just thinking about all the times we've spent out here over the years. Do you remember all the stories we used to come up with sitting out here?"

Edward snorted, "Yeah, we had pretty vivid imaginations at twelve."

I laughed, nodding my head because it was true, we came up with some wild stories back then. Edward always told stories about cowboys or pony express riders that would have stopped to get a drink on their way through the bad lands. I would always laugh because this part of Texas wasn't exactly the bad lands of South Dakota, but it went well with the stories Edward would spin.

We dismounted once we reached the river's edge. Edward unbridled and hobbled our horses while I unpacked our lunch, spreading the quilt I brought along on the ground.

"So what did Renee send?" Edward asked as he plopped down next to me on the quilt.

"Hmmm....well it looks like she sent....chicken salad sandwiches," I raised an aluminum foil wrapped sandwich. My saddle bags were insulated so the sandwiches and the bottled water I packed were cold.

"Oooo, Renee's chicken salad? God, I love that woman." Edward grabbed the sandwich from my hand and I handed him a second because I knew that he wouldn't stop at one.

We ate the lunch my mother prepared, talking about nothing in particular, just enjoying our day together. We were avoiding the subject that we really needed to talk about, the one that had my heart racing and my breathing picking up to an unnatural rate as we finished our lunch. I began packing our trash inside the now empty saddle bags and Edward took my hand.

"Bella..." he sighed. I could hear the strain in his voice and I was suddenly nervous for the first time all afternoon. Awareness of where the conversation was heading had my heart slamming against my chest and I looked anywhere but at Edward.

"I....I need to get all this packed up, Edward," I stammered, trying not to let the tears that were burning my eyes fall.

"Bella, please look at me," he begged. There was no way I could resist the pleading in his voice and I looked up into his shining green eyes. There was no denying the pain that I saw there. Edward was hurting, too, and I knew that this was just as difficult for him as it was for me.

"Do you know how much I love you?" Edward whispered as he took my hand and pulled me onto his lap, wrapping his arms around my body.

Burying my face in his chest, I fought the tears. I didn't want to cry, I didn't want to make this more difficult on Edward than it already was, but I was losing the little bit of control I had held onto throughout the day.

"God, Bella, please don't cry. I'm sorry, I know," Edward's voice broke and that only made my heart ache even more, the tears fell heavier from my eyes. "I'm sorry. Everything is going to be okay. You know that, right? It's going to be.....we're going to be fine. I love you, Bella."

I nodded my head but didn't raise my head from where I had buried myself in his chest. I needed so much to make this real, to feel his arms around me, to know that he was still here. I just wanted to crawl inside his skin and stay with him forever.

Edward's hands threaded in my hair and he tilted my head until our eyes locked. I could see the tears brimming in his eyes as my own rolled over my cheeks.

"I know, Edward. You'll be back when you get a break at the holidays, right? It's...everything's going to be fine," I choked out trying so hard to be convincing.

Who I was trying to convince more, me or Edward, I wasn't quite sure.

Edward smiled before he slowly bent to brush his lips with mine in a tender kiss. My hands instinctively ran over his chest to wrap around his neck. I leaned further into his body, pulling him closer to me. Shifting my body until I was straddling his lap, I gasped as his tongue pressed against my lower lip, begging to deepen our kiss. The moan that left Edward as I opened to allow him full access to my mouth had my body burning with need. I laced my fingers in his silky hair and ground my hips against the hardness I could feel growing beneath his jeans. The much needed friction made me groan as I felt Edward move against me.

"Oh God, Bella," he groaned as he broke our kiss to trail his soft lips over my jaw line down my neck. He was nipping and sucking lightly on my overheated skin as his fingers began lifting my shirt slowly until I was lifting my arms, revealing my green lace bra for Edward's eyes. I heard his sharp intake of breath as he took in my newly revealed body with his roaming eyes and hands.

"Bella," he whispered reverently. "Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?"

I smiled as our eyes met because, at that moment, I felt like the most beautiful woman on the planet. The way Edward spoke and worshiped my body made me feel as though there was no woman loved more than I. Edward slid his hands over the skin of my back and quickly released the clasp of my bra, placing kisses down the center of my chest as his hands worked to remove the silk and lace barrier. A low moan escaped my lips as Edward palmed my breasts and kissed the swell of both before dipping his head lower to take one nipple in his mouth. Arching my body into his caress, I tightened my grasp in his hair.

"Oh, God....Edward," I sighed as the feel of his tongue shot straight to the aching need between my legs. I felt the building desire soaking my panties as he lavished one nipple with his tongue while rolling the other between his forefinger and thumb, he gently pushed me back until I was lying on my back and he covered me with his body.

Edward's lips were once again making their way up my neck, he ran the tip of his tongue along the shell of my ear, causing me to gasp as an electric current flowed down my spine.  
"I want you, Bella." Edward's rough voice was in my ear as I felt his fingers playing at the top of my jeans, slowly making his way around to brush lightly over my abdomen before working the button loose and moving the zipper down inch by inch. I whimpered as Edward shifted to a kneeling position to remove my boots. I lifted my body to allow him to slide my jeans over my hips and down my legs. A feral sounding growl came from deep in his chest as Edward looked down upon my near naked form.

"Fuck," I heard him utter under his breath before he bent to place a reverent kiss to my abdomen, just below my navel, and inhaled deeply. "Bella, do you have any idea what you do to me? God, I want you so much."

My hands moved down over the muscles of his back, languishing at the feel of them twitching and relaxing under my touch, slowly pushing his shirt up his torso until he pulled away just enough to slip it over his head. I moved my trembling hands down to begin working the buckle of his belt loose, growling in frustration as I couldn't get my fingers to work fast enough to get Edward's jeans off his body. Edward chuckled at my impatience and rolled away from me momentarily to remove his clothes completely. Edward's arms were around me again only a moment later, pulling me flush with his now bare chest. It had been too long since we were alone together, my body was crying out for his touch. The feeling was indescribable as our skin finally touched with no barriers between us.

"Ungh....Edward, please....touch me, please," I begged. I was past any point of caring that I was begging this beautiful creature before me to touch me in ways that I couldn't even explain needing. But my body craved the feel of his hands, his mouth.....I needed it all like I needed oxygen to breathe.

Edward's fingers, which had been curled around my waist, began to dance their way down over my hips, tucking into the top of my boy shorts and agonizingly slowly sliding them off my body. When I was completely bare to his worshiping touch, Edward placed a gentle kiss on the inside of my thigh just above my knee, eliciting a low moan from me, and a deep groan emanated from his throat. The fabric of the quilt twisted in my fists as he moved higher and higher up my inner thigh with those magical lips.

"Bella," his whispered calling of my name, fanning his warm breath over my skin, caused me to whimper in anticipation and desire.

"Oh...God, Edward." My eyes fluttered closed as the pleasure from just his mouth on my skin had me on fire and my breath was coming in short pants.

"Bella," his voice was low but my eyes opened to look into his hooded gaze. "Don't close your eyes, baby."

My breath hitched as he dipped his head and descended on my sex. Edward ran the flat of his tongue over my swollen flesh, my hands shot to his hair holding him to me.

"Oh...oh, God," I moaned as Edward shifted his body and pressed the tip of one finger to my entrance as he lapped at my clit. Edward's eyes never left mine as he pushed his finger inside me; I gasped, his name falling from my lips. I thought I would surely explode from the tightening of my entire body as my orgasm built. My hips bucked against his fingers and mouth in an unconscious rhythm of pleasure.

"Mmm, baby." Edward's voice sent vibrations through my body, and faster than ever before when Edward had taken me this way, I was screaming Edward's name as the white hot ecstasy ripped through me and my body tightened around his fingers. He continued to work my body slowly as I came down from my orgasm, a sense of euphoria overtaking me as my body calmed.

"Edward, please......I need you," I breathed and pulled on his hair where my fingers where still buried in his thick locks.

I needed him more than I could put into words. I craved the connection between our bodies, but it was more than that. When we were together....when we made love, it was more than just the joining of our bodies, it was as if we connected on some other level of consciousness, like our souls merged into one. And now, unlike any other time in our past, I needed that....I needed it more than my next breath.

Edward lifted his head, his lips pulling into that crooked grin I loved so much. He bent to press an open mouthed kiss to my stomach, his tongue darting out and tasting my skin, leaving a trail of fire everywhere his lips and tongue touched as he licked a circle around my navel. Teasing me as he dipped the tip of his tongue into my belly button, Edward chuckled as I squirmed, fighting the urge to giggle as his ministrations tickled my skin. Edward slowly made his way up my body, nipping and licking over my abdomen and torso. When Edward removed his fingers from my body, I couldn't hold back the whimper that escaped me at the loss of his touch. He continued to kiss every inch of my skin while dancing his fingers across my hips, up my sides, before he gently brushed the outside of my breast.

Shifting to hold his weight on one arm, Edward palmed my left breast, teasing the pebbled flesh of my nipple with his fingers, while nuzzling the swell of my right with his nose. He brushed his lips over my breast, lapping the puckered skin of my nipple as he suckled me gently.

"Edward," I cried as his heat was suddenly gone from my body and my eyes snapped open to see Edward grabbing his jeans. "What-" my voice cut off as Edward looked at me with a smirk and held up the foil package he had extracted from the pocket of his jeans.

Ripping open the package and rolling on the condom, Edward moved over my body once again. Placing a kiss to the hollow of my throat, he drug his lips up the side of my neck and over my jaw before capturing my lips with his in a searing kiss. This was not the tender, gentle kisses we had shared earlier; it was full of urgency and need. His tongue demanded entry as he pressed it along my bottom lip. I gladly opened, meeting the satin of his tongue with my own, and moaned at the sensation of Edwards's hungry kiss.

Edward growled as he flattened his palm on my side, sliding it down to grip my hip, his arousal sliding along my inner thigh. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, raking my fingers down his back as Edward's fingers curled around the back of my knee, bringing it up over his hip and settling himself between my legs.

"Oh God, baby, I want to make you feel so good," Edward's husky voice whispered against my lips as I felt him shift and his head pressed against my wet sex.

"Edward, please, I..." I almost sobbed from the overwhelming want as his dick teased my opening, it was difficult to form a thought or words - my mind was a jumble of need.

That seemed to be all the permission Edward needed and the magic words to release the hold on his control Edward held as his hips shifted and he pushed himself inside me quickly. I gasped at the sudden stretching of my body to accommodate him as Edward filled me completely. Edward's eyes met mine, silently asking if I was okay and begging me not to ask him to stop at the same time. It was an out of body experience each time he entered me initially, but it was wholly pleasurable. A moan escaped my lips as I raised my hips to press against his, letting him know I was okay. Edward's hand slid down over my thigh to once again grip my hip. He pulled out and plunged back in hard and fast as he braced himself on the other arm. Dropping his forehead to press against mine, Edward's eyes closed. My eyes rolled back and my lids fluttered closed as I could feel the building of another orgasm stirring in the pit of my abdomen as Edward set his pace, a low guttural grunt leaving him with every thrust into my welcoming body.

"Uhnn...Bella, God....you feel....so good, baby." Edward's voice was thick and rough as he moved inside me.

My breathing was coming as nothing more than short pants and deep moans as my body responded to the delicious feeling of the rhythm we had with one another. Bringing my legs up, I wrapped them around Edward's waist, which changed the position of my hips, allowing him to find a deeper part of me with each thrust. Edward's pace began to quicken as he got closer to his release.

"Oh...yes....yes...Edward, oh, God," I tightened my arms around his shoulders, threading my fingers into his hair as he buried his head in my neck. The gentleness of his lips at my neck was in contrast to the hard way his hips moved against mine and it was driving me to insanity.

"Oh, God, I love you, Edward," I whispered in his ear.

"Unn....I love you, Bella." His hot breath fanned across my damp skin, raising goose bumps as I felt my body begin to tighten around him and I fell over the edge for the second time.

"Ungh, Edward, Oh God!" My world exploded as I cried out, the orgasm overtaking me as my inner walls contracted and Edward continued to pump in and out of my body.

"Fuck, Bella, oh, God.....oh, baby. I love you." Edward's rhythm became more and more erratic before his body went completely rigid as he reached his release and climaxed with a feral grunt. I kissed along his shoulder and up his neck as his breathing began to slow. I could feel his racing heart vibrating in his chest along with mine, as if they were beating as one. He slowly pulled out and rolled away, disposing of the condom. My heart clenched in my chest at the feeling of loss.

Edward slipped his jeans and boxers back on as I sat up to grab my panties and T shirt, quickly sliding them on my body. Edward lay back on the quilt again before pulling me to him and wrapping his arms around my body in a tight hug as I snuggled into his neck.

"I love you, so much," I whispered against his skin causing him to shiver and chuckle. I wrapped an arm around his naked torso and lay my bare leg across his jean clad thighs. Edward linked the fingers of one hand with mine, bringing it to his lips for a soft kiss before lowering it to hold it to his chest.

I felt him brush a finger over the ring on my third finger before he spoke, "God, Bella, I love you more than I can ever tell you."

I lifted my head to look into his eyes. I expected to see the contentment which was always on his face after we made love, but there was sadness in his eyes this time. My brow furrowed in confusion, and then as the realization and memory of what this day meant for us began to return to my mind, I felt the tears begin to burn in my eyes.

"I....I.." My voice broke as I tried to form the words that were stuck in my throat behind the incredibly large lump threatening to choke me.

"Please, Bella, don't....shh, please," his voice was suddenly thick with the emotions I could see on his face before he tucked my head under his chin and tightened his arms around me.

We lay wrapped in each others arms for a long time, trying to soak in as much of the other as we could before we had to begin the ride back home.

"Baby, it's getting late. We gotta head back so we're not out here in the dark. Charlie will kill me for sure if I don't have you back to the barn before nightfall," Edward whispered into my hair and I felt him press his lips to the top of my head.

"I know....I just....I don't want to let go just yet," I breathed, trying to hold back the tears.

"God, Bella, I don't want to either....but we really have to go." Edward pressed another gentle kiss to my forehead and my eyes closed, trying to commit this to memory. Hoping that if I held on tight enough to this day, this memory, the dread I felt in the pit of my stomach wouldn't take me over and I could get through this without completely coming apart.

Edward and I made it back to my house as the sun was setting on the horizon. The cicadas began singing their song as twilight descended over the summer sky. The symbolism of an ending wasn't lost on me. I had to keep telling myself Edward would be home at Thanksgiving and again at Christmas.

We could do this.....we would get through the next year and then I could make a decision about where I was going to go to school. Auburn isn't that far away. They don't have a rodeo team, but I would be alright with that. As long as Edward and I could be together, it wouldn't matter.

It was only a few months before he would be back and everything would be just fine, right?

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**E/N: So that's it....as I said I hope you enjoyed there time together. **

**Again thanks to Heatherdawn for requesting this little snippet of Edward and Bella's life as her story and for the donation to making the Fandom Gives Back so successful.  
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	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Disclaimer SM owns Twilight. I own the plot and storyline within this outtake and the story Make Me Believe. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Yeah, so I'm editing this because I'm a frickin' idiot and erased my mention of thanks to my super duper beta Jessica1971. ::::shakes head:::: So sorry to my twin!! =s  
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**So this is the outtake piece I did for the Haiti Relief fundraiser organized by Ms. Kathy . If you donated you received this outtake in the file that was sent out back in January/February. Ms. Kathy asked that our pieces not be posted until March but today is reader appreciation day so in appreciation of all the awesome readers out there this piece is being posted today. So thank you to all of you who have supported and enjoyed MMB!**

**This outtake occurs between chapters 11 and 12 in Make Me Believe. Taking place the night before the pivotal talk in Chapter 12.  
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**Memories and Decisions….**

My last thoughts just before I drifted off to sleep were of Edward's laughing green eyes, the ones I once knew and hoped might still be there somewhere. I could feel the peacefulness of sleep overtaking me as I returned to a place I had not allowed myself to go in a very long time. It was too painful, the memory was just too much for my conscious mind to bring back to me, but my subconscious wasn't going to let me off so easily…..

_Edward was going to help me study for my Calculus I test after all, baseball practice had been cancelled and he had the afternoon free. What we were not expecting was to be alone…..completely alone. _

_It wasn't often that we were alone in the house, there was always some activity or another that kept the Cullen's house abuzz. But today……today everyone was scattered to the winds for whatever activity kept them out of the house for the afternoon. _

_I could see the tension in Edward's posture as soon as we entered the house and he realized that it was completely empty. He cast a sidelong glance my way before leading me to the stairs and up to his room. I couldn't help the little nervous smile that pulled at my lips as I followed him. _

_Edward spun his desk chair around and straddled it, facing me where I lay on my stomach on his bed with my book and notebook spread in front of me. He eyed my position suspiciously and I quirked an eyebrow at him in question, he only shook his head, never uttering a word. We stayed like that, with Edward as far from me as he possibly could get while still being able to see my notebook where he could help me figure out my mistakes, for half an hour before it was just too much and I jumped off the bed. Edward stood immediately, his chair rolling across the hardwood floor, he pulled me into his arms and pressed a gentle kiss to my lips. _

_I broke our kiss and looked up into those piercing green eyes. They were hooded with lust, and I could see the love he held for me shining there. I ran my finger along the line of his jaw to his ear and back to the little dimple in his chin. He released a low growl from deep in his chest when I placed a gentle kiss at the hollow of his throat. _

_His hands were slowly running up and down my back, increasing the pressure with each pass. He pressed my body closer to his. I could feel his excitement pressing into my abdomen. Placing small, light, open mouth kisses along the part of his collar bone that was exposed by the opening in his shirt, my fingers trembled as I worked the first button out of the hole._

"_Bella…." he moaned out my name._

"_Yes," I answered in a whisper._

"_What….mmm…what are you doing?" he stuttered out in a strangled voice._

_I could feel his breathing quicken and he tightened his arms around my body. _

"_I'm unbuttoning your shirt, silly," I teased and looked up at him with a smirk._

_He cleared his throat before he spoke._

"_I…I, um, know that. You know that's not what I meant." He tried to scowl at me, but I could see he was struggling with his control. Though his words were meant to deter me, I could see the desire burning in his eyes._

"_I thought we had decided we weren't ready for this?" he sighed as I continued to open the buttons of his shirt, letting kisses follow my fingers as more of his sculpted chest was revealed to me._

"_I'm only unbuttoning your shirt, Edward." Smiling at him, I ran my hands up his naked chest, over his shoulders, and pushed his shirt away. Edward dropped his arms, letting the offending article fall to the floor before cupping my face between his rough hands. _

"_Bella…" Edward's voice was thick with need and trembled slightly as he breathed my name._

_Threading his long fingers in my hair, he caressed my cheeks with the pad of his thumb. Resting his forehead against mine, his eyes closed as he struggled with the questions I knew were running through his head. I rested my hands on his naked chest, my palms flat against the hard muscles, and could feel his heart pounding. _

_We had discussed taking the next step in our relationship. Edward wasn't sure that we were ready, that _I_ was ready. Which, even though I knew he was only trying to protect me, it still seemed funny to me being that it was typically the girl in the situation who was the one holding off on having sex. But I knew he wanted me, I knew he loved me, and I knew that he was the only one I would want to do this with; there was no one else for me, I had known that since the first summer he came to stay with Carlisle and Esme. _

"_Baby, you do realize that I am not going to be able to stop if we go any further. Bella, you're pushing my restraint....I….God……I love you. Bella, I want you so much and I….you have to be sure." He placed a light kiss on my lips, his eyes still closed; I could see him struggling with his control. _

"_Edward. I love you, you know that. I'm ready. _We're_ ready." _

"_Oh God, Bella…I love you," It was as if by saying that to him, a switch flipped and he finally let go of all that damn self control._

_He crashed his lips to mine, pouring more passion in that one kiss than I was aware even existed; it completely took my breath away. He pressed his tongue to my lips, requesting entrance, and I opened my mouth and gasped. I whimpered as my body ignited into a full blown fire as Edward let go of his restraint. I leaned further into his body and my hands shot to his hair, pulling his face closer to mine. _

_His hands slid over my shoulders and were making their way down my back, caressing, kneading. _

_I squeaked when both of his hands reached my ass, and Edward suddenly lifted me from the ground, wrapping my legs around his waist. He growled as he broke our kiss, only to find my neck and place wet, open mouth kisses down my throat until reaching the point behind my ear. _

"_Edward…" I breathed into his ear. _

_I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face as a shiver ran through his body. He tightened his arms, one under my behind and the other around my back, holding me close to his body. _

_He laid me on his bed, stretching out alongside me; his hands were everywhere at once and I was completely overwhelmed with the sensations washing over my body. _

_I released a breathy moan as I felt his fingers slip under the hem of my shirt and begin to push it up my torso. He nudged my arms as he swept it over my head. I heard his sharp intake of breath and watched his eyes darken as he raked them over my body._

"_God, Bella….you're so beautiful…." his voice a soft whisper, liquid fire as it lit my body ablaze just with the sound. He leaned down to place a kiss just above my belly button. _

_Pulling back to look into my eyes, Edward flattened a palm over my heart and slowly slid it down to the center of my chest. My breathing was coming in quick panting wisps of air. _

_My eyes closed of their own accord as his hand moved down my body, caressing my skin as though he were handling a priceless artifact. His fingers were just barely making contact, leaving a trail of gooseflesh and fire in their wake. _

_I moaned and arched my back, trying to press my body further into his touch as he cupped my breast gently. I felt my nipple pebble under the cotton of my bra, pressing against the pad of his thumb. He lowered his head, placing a kiss to the center of my chest and then on the swell of each of my breasts. I bit the inside of my cheek to hold in the moan that bubbled in my throat as his fingers dipped into my bra, releasing my breast from the constraints. _

_When he began to gently roll my hardened nipple between his fingers as he lavished my neck with open mouth kisses, I couldn't contain the moan any longer and it rolled out of me as the sensations overtook my body. _

_It was a complete out of body experience; I felt like I was floating. I closed my eyes to try to gain some control over the need in my body. Every touch, every kiss was bringing me closer to the edge, and yet not close enough at the same time. _

"_Edward….please…" I begged for more, my body was on fire and I needed him more in that moment than ever before._

_His hand slid around to my back and I raised myself enough that he could release the snaps of my bra. Edward hooked a single finger under one of the straps and slowly removed it from my shoulder. His lips followed the trail his finger had just traveled with light nipping kisses as I slid my arms from the bra completely and Edward threw it somewhere in the room. _

"_Bella…" his whisper held the reverence of a prayer, as though he were worshipping me as a deity. _

_His lips were soft on my skin as he made his way to my now naked breasts. Shifting his body, he lay completely on top of mine. I felt enveloped within him, as though I could crawl inside and never surface again in the sensations he was providing my body, my soul._

"_I love you…..so much," he murmured just as he took one breast in his mouth while caressing the other with his hand._

"_Oh…." My mind went completely blank; I couldn't form a coherent thought. Building from the pit of my stomach and bursting out through my limbs, the fire was so intense that my body completely ignited and I was sure I would be a pile of ashes._

_Edward's tongue, oh God, his tongue, was like nothing I had ever felt - soft and hard simultaneously as he suckled my nipple and ran that magnificent tongue over the sensitive flesh._

"_Edward…." I moaned his name. "Please…don't torture me any longer….I need you, now." I pulled his head up so he had to look in my eyes. _

_What I saw returned to me in his stare was pure love, but there was also an emotion I had only seen a few times. It seems that once his control was gone, the lust I had only hoped he was holding back all this time was making itself known with a vengeance. _

_He covered my mouth with his and kissed me with so much passion I was sure I would pass out from the intensity. Just as I began to feel light headed, he broke the kiss, peppering tiny nipping kisses down my chin to the hollow of my throat, sucking gently when he reached this sensitive area. His hands slid down my abdomen to the waistband of my jeans. I felt the tug as the buttons gave to his insistence, and in a flash I was in nothing at all, completely naked before this man. _

_It even surprised me that I felt completely at peace; there was no blushing as there had been at other times when we fooled around. Edward and I had some pretty heavy make out sessions, but we always stopped before this point. This time there was no apprehension, no stopping. This was right; this man was right, and I loved him more than anything I had ever known in my life. _

_Edward's hand ghosted back over my thigh, and when I felt his fingers dip inside my body, I thought I surely had died and gone to heaven. He skimmed his lips up my neck to my ear where he sucked on the lobe before slowly making his way back to my chest. I whimpered as he took a nipple between his lips and began to suckle my breast. I felt my body begin to tighten as he worked me with his fingers and his mouth. When he pressed his thumb to my clit, I fell over the edge, crying his name. White lights burst behind my closed lids as I completely stopped breathing for a split second. _

"_Stunning…" I heard him whisper as I lay there, trying to regain control of my gasping breaths. Edward pulled away from me and stood, working his belt loose._

_Shoving his jeans roughly down his body, they made a thud as they hit the floor; his boxer briefs quickly joined them. Edward reached into the drawer of his bedside table and I heard the tearing of the foil package before he crawled back up my body and settled between my legs. _

_I sucked in a breath as I could feel him pressing into my thigh, and for a split second I panicked at exactly how _that_ would fit inside me. The thought had crossed my mind several times during our make out sessions about how it would feel when we finally took this step, and in all honesty I was scared of the pain; not enough to stop, but scared all the same. _

_Edward saw the hesitation and gently stroked my face, murmuring, "Bella, are you sure? It's going to hurt no matter what I do….I'll be as gentle as I can, love, but…"_

"_No, Edward, don't….I know….I'm sure, please…." I begged. I needed to have this connection with him more than anything ever before in my life._

_He looked deep into my eyes for a long moment, searching for something. Obviously finding what he was looking for, he nodded and dipped his head to my lips, kissing me gently as he positioned himself at my entrance and finally entered me slowly. _

_I couldn't hold the gasp as the pain shot through me as he pushed through my barrier and he stilled. Looking at me with panic clear on his face, I could feel him trying to pull himself back. I grasped onto him, digging my heels into his backside as my arms tightened around his shoulders. _

"_No! Edward don't….it's okay…just give me a second." I tried to take a deep breath and released it slowly, my eyes closed involuntarily._

_I opened my eyes to look into the worried emerald green of Edward's, and I cupped his cheek with my hand._

"_Edward, we knew it would be painful, it's not that bad….just give me a second, please…." I begged him with my eyes not to stop now, I needed him so badly and I just had to get through the initial discomfort. _

_He held perfectly still, like a stone statue, barely even breathing. His only movement was the tremors that ran through him as he attempted to restrain himself from either pulling out of me or burying himself deeper. I could see the emotions for both playing across his face._

_I took a few more deep breaths as the burning sensation subsided and raised my hips to him, letting him know I was ready. Edward hissed at the friction that simple movement created._

"_I'm okay, Edward…..it's okay….." as the words left my lips, he pushed further in and the sensation of finally being whole brought tears to my eyes._

"_Oh, God…Bella, I can't…..I'm gonna hurt you…" stilling his movements once again._

"_No! Edward it just….please, it doesn't hurt….really, please…." I placed my hands on either side of his face, stroking his jaw with my thumbs. _

_I lifted my lips upto place a tiny kiss on his chin and the sides of his mouth before finally pressing my lips to his and letting all the passion that was burning in my body escape into the kiss. That seemed to convince him I was telling him the truth._

"_Edward…." I sighed with the sensations and emotions running through my body._

_He slowly pulled out a little and pushed slowly back into me. It still hurt a little as he moved inside me, but as my body adjusted, the pleasure began to outweigh the discomfort. _

_As we moved together, it was as though we had been this way with one another for years; there was no awkwardness, no hesitance. There was only Edward and Bella, intertwined in the coupling of our bodies, minds, and souls. _

"_Bella…oh….so…so good…" Edward was panting into my neck._

_As Edward shifted a little onto his knees and the angle of his thrust changed, I felt Edward's hand slip between our bodies. When he pressed his fingers over my swollen clit, I thought I would lose my mind as I had never felt anything like what my body was experiencing. _

"_Oh God, Bella….I…." Edward was incoherently murmuring words of his love for me as he tumbled into his release. He fell with his full body weight on top of me, completely spent and pressing me further into the mattress._

_I lay there drinking in his scent, his touch, the weight of his body. I felt so protected, so loved in that moment that the tears sprang to my eyes again and a small sob escaped my lips. _

"_Oh baby, please….please, tell me you don't regret…" Edward lamented, pulling back to look into my eyes. _

"_God no, Edward…I'm just…..happy."_

_Edward dropped his head to my shoulder, placing gentle open mouth kisses to my collarbone just before he slipped out, rolling to lay beside me. _

_I turned to face him and was immediately wrapped in his arms. He pulled me into his chest, tucking me under his chin. I buried my face in his chest and kissed the spot just over his heart._

"_I love you so much, Edward." I knew he could feel the smile on my face, even if he couldn't see it._

_He placed a kiss to the top of my head and sighed happily into my hair. I released a contented sigh and heard him murmur the words I knew I would never get used to hearing him say._

"_I love you, my sweet Bella."_

My breath caught in my throat as I sat bolt upright in my bed. I reached up and felt the dampness on my cheeks. Wiping angrily at the traitorous tears, I knew there was no way I was going to get back to sleep after that…..that… _dream._

Turning to look at the clock on my bedside table, I groaned at the time, knowing that I had several hours before Edward would actually be here in the flesh.

_How the hell am I going to talk to him after that? _

I groaned again, throwing myself back on the bed and covering my eyes with my arms.

"Oh, lord! What have I gotten myself into?" I asked of the room around me.

I wasn't sure what the day ahead would bring, what Edward's explanations would mean for….._us_. There really wasn't an _us_, not right now, but I couldn't continue to run from the past we shared. As much as it scared the hell out of me, we had to face it; I needed to know why. Why, after all this time, he had decided to waltz back in my life. Especially now, after remembering _that_ time in our life together, how could he walk away? How could he say all the things he said, or didn't say, the day he threw _us _away?

I sniffled as the hot tears leaked from my eyes; I had to get myself together. There was just no way I could let him know how much of my heart he still held in his hands, not until I knew his reasons. I had to know before I could even think about whether there would ever be an _us_ again.

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**A/N: Thanks again to all of you amazing and wonderful readers!! You make this so much fun. I hope you enjoyed a little bit of a glimpse into some of our favorite couples past. Remember this outtake was before they had _the talk_. So it might be a bit easier to now understand what Bella's thinking was before Edward came to her house that morning. **

**Okay, I also want to make it clear that I will finish MMB. I guess with the note I placed in the last update concerned some that I would be pulling the story or not completing it, that is simply not the case. MMB will complete just make sure to have me on Author Alert in case something occurs that is beyond my control. Thank you all again to all you wonderful readers. **

**Happy Reader Appreciation day!!!**

**bellasunderstudy1 **

**xoxoxoxoxo  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight. The plot and story here-in are sole property of the author. **

**I have to say thank you of course the the most awesome beta ever Jessica1971, she has worked her magic on my words yet again.**

**Honestly this outtake is dedicated to Jessica1971. It is for her that I wrote this. Jessica requested a happily ever after for Seth WAY back and I promised her that I would give him his HEA. So...here ya go. This is a little snippet of how Seth and Angela met and fell in love. Hope you enjoy...**

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True Loves Kiss (Seth and Angela Outtake from MMB)

Seth POV

I made my way through the lobby of the building which housed the studio we were assigned to for recording.

I waved to Avery at the front desk as I took a long sip of my Starbucks and hit the call button for the elevator. As I waited, my mind drifted to the events of the last couple of weeks. I had been thinking more about where my personal life was headed, or not headed as the case maybe.

The disaster which ensued from dating Caren was beyond any and all common sense. The chick was crazy, like a card carrying member of the National Association for the Mentally Insane.

She had taken the fact I was sort of into her and gone on a few dates with her to mean that we were in some kind of relationship, which was just not the case at all, at least not from my side of things. But when I tried to explain that though I liked her, I just wasn't really looking for a relationship with her, she went ballistic in the middle of a recording session and split with no notice, leaving the band between a rock and a hard place.

The scramble to not only replace her but to also replace the music she took with her was a less than pleasant experience. To say that Jacob was pissed would be an understatement of epic proportions. Then the ass blamed me for the whole damn situation. It was more than a bit frustrating.

Regardless of the issues caused for the band, it brought up a whole lot of reflection on my part as to why I didn't want a relationship with her in the first place. I mean, sure now that I knew she was bat-shit crazy I'm glad that I didn't really see a future with her, but what was it that made me keep her at arm's length before that?

Did I not want to fall in love again? I thought I did. But I also thought I had been in love once before, but currently for me love just wasn't on the radar evidently.

Looking at where my personal life had been and where it was now, I just wasn't sure I could deal with another relationship ending the way it had with Jane.

Jane had dumped my ass with very little finesse. She just packed up, walked out, and never looked back. As far as I knew she had never given me so much as a second thought and it hurt like hell at the time. I had adjusted over time, but it was what it was and I had dealt with it as best I could.

Didn't change the fact that it made me a bit gun shy, I hate to admit.

Then there was Bella. Ah….Bella. I really could have loved that woman.

She had one of the kindest hearts of anyone I have ever known, but she was never mine. I knew it as soon as I talked with her the night Edward came back into town. There was a pain in her voice that had nothing to do with the last year of her life; it was a longing that she tried to hide behind a truck load of pissed off, but I knew she was still in love with him….that she always had been.

Bella was no one but Edward's, even if at that moment she didn't know it. It was true and there wasn't a damn thing I or anyone else could do about it, not even Bella.

Lord knows she tried to run from him, damn near ran right into my bed, but there was no way I could have done that, not with her.

Bella's a good woman, my best friend, truth be known, and sleeping with her would have just shot that all to hell. As good as it might have been, I wasn't willing to sacrifice my friend for one night of great sex.

All I can say is I'm glad that Edward finally seemed to get his shit together and start making things right with her. Things were far from easy for them. They were still trying to figure everything out, and with Edward being in Georgia it only complicated matters. Still, they were working through it together and I was happy for Bella. Though I wasn't sure their kind of commitment existed for me, or if I would ever find that kind of devotion from a woman.

I guess if I were being honest with myself, that's what was holding me back from getting involved with anyone. I didn't think I would ever find what I witnessed between them for myself. Hell, for that matter, it was there between my sister and Jacob. Maybe I was setting the bar too high, but then I had settled for second rate with Jane and look what that got me.

As I stepped off the elevator, I made my way to the studio where I knew Jacob and Leah would be waiting. They were meeting with Caren's replacement earlier this morning and I figured they had already dismissed her just like the last twenty or so who had auditioned.

I entered the room where I knew I would find Jake and Leah and the sound that hit me as I pushed open the door just nearly knocked me on my ass. The voice of an angel rang clear as crystal through the room and froze me in my tracks.

"Holy God," I breathed.

I was wholly unprepared for the sensations that raced through my system as I took in the source of all that power.

I was overwhelmed with a warm sensation in my chest that quickly spread through my whole body as I looked at the woman singing into the microphone inside the sound studio.

She was tall, probably five eight, five nine, long dark hair that hung straight to the middle of her back. Even though she was dressed in a pair of track pants and a white t-shirt, I could tell she had a rockin' body underneath those casual clothes.

Until that very moment, I didn't believe in love at first sight, but I was quickly reevaluating my stance on the subject.

"What's up, little brother?" Leah asked, nailing me in the back as she brushed past me into the room.

I winced from the punch and realized I was still standing in the doorway staring like an idiot at the woman on the other side of the glass. A woman who at the moment had no idea I even existed, but somehow it felt as if my world just tilted on its axis.

"Nothin', big sis." I stepped inside, closing the door behind me.

I took a seat, trying to be as nonchalant as possible while continuing to shamelessly stare at the powerhouse vocalist inside the sound box.

Leah sat herself in Jake's lap, wrapping her arm around his shoulders and planting a sloppy kiss on his cheek. She may have even licked him just a little, which kind of made my stomach churn, but I tried to ignore their PDA's as much as possible.

"Damn, woman," Jacob laughed, wiping his cheek with the back of his hand.

"So," I started, clearing my throat, "that the new pipes?"

Leah only laughed and winked at me before answering. "That," she gestured with her head toward the angel who was now talking with Sara, one of our backup singers, "is Angela Webber. She's the new replacement for Caren. Sara said she was a friend of hers so she called her in to audition. She's good, huh?"

"Yeah," I said, unable to tear my eyes away from the woman on the other side of the glass.

Creeping my own self out with my stalker grade obsession, I watched as Angela threw her head back and laughed at something Sara said to her. Jake hadn't turned the mic off, so Angela's laugh filled the space around me and I felt my heart stutter and flop in my chest at the sound.

I coughed and turned my head to catch my sister staring at me strangely with a furrowed brow.

"Ah…" I cleared my throat, trying to cover whatever it was that had happened to me in that moment and really wanting to change the subject. "Uh, so what's on the schedule for today?"

Leah continued to look at me with that same expression as Jake began to fill me in on what we had planned for the rest of the day, seemingly unaware of the stare down going on between his wife and me.

Evidently, this Angela chick wasn't just any run of the mill studio artist; she had cut an album of her own as part of a trio, but the group had broken up recently. Since she didn't have a contract at the moment as a solo artist, she was working the backup/studio gig marking time and trying to keep her name in the biz.

Leah continued to look at me, occasionally looking over her shoulder at Angela and then back at me.

I shifted in my chair because the silent third degree I was getting from my sister was starting to make me damn uncomfortable. I tried to carry on normal conversation with Jake about what needed tweaking here and there to our sound.

I noticed Leah get up and make her way out of the room and into the sound box where Angela and Sara were still talking. Jake had switched off the mic at this point, so I had no idea what they were talking about. I tried my best to concentrate on the things Jake was laying out.

We had a truckload of work that needed to be done to the tracks which were already recorded and absolutely no time to finish. The deadline was looming over us like the proverbial black cloud and our producer was getting a bit pissy about the whole thing.

Add to that the fact that we had lost over half of the tracks we had set to record over the next two weeks when Caren bailed, and it was going to take forever to make up the lost material.

Jake and I hammered out a few more details of scheduling and the like. I'm not sure how long it was before I looked up and realized that Angela, as well as Leah and Sara, were nowhere to be seen.

"Uh….where'd the girls go?" I asked, trying to sound cool and not let on that my interest was solely Angela's whereabouts.

"Oh…um," Jake looked at me with a strange expression. "They uh, headed out about thirty minutes ago. Why?"

"Uh, no reason….just thought I'd introduce myself to the new girl. Ya know, to be polite and all," I said, rubbing the center of my chest and wondering why I felt so disturbed by not getting the chance to talk to her before she left.

"Whatever, man," Jake said, obviously seeing straight through my bullshit judging by the grin on his face. "Just don't screw anything else up for this album, you hear me?"

"What the hell's that supposed to mean, Jake?" I asked, instantly irritated.

"You know exactly what I mean, Seth," he said, nailing me with a pointed stare.

"First of all, this album is just as important to me as it is to you. Second, you know damn good and well that what happened with Caren was not my fault. I had no idea she would go bat shit crazy and bail like –"

"Yeah, well, point is," he cut me off mid-sentence, "having her go off kilter and split in the middle of a recording session was one thing, but she took part of what we had planned on recording with her. They were her songs and they're gone right along with her. All your personal drama put the album off schedule, so I really don't need you to do anything else that could screw up what we might have going with this new girl. Understand?"

I felt the anger rushing through my body and heating my blood as I looked at my brother-in-law. For the most part I was an easy going, happy-go-lucky sort of guy, but recently Jake was pissing me off more than I cared to admit.

Jake and I had always gotten along before all this band non-sense. I liked the guy a lot, even before he and Leah got together. But there were times, such as this one, that I really wanted to just beat his ass.

The only thing I could say for him throughout the whole situation was that he had not told Leah the real reason Caren left the band. As far as the other band members and my sister were concerned, Caren had come down with some kind of flu that would keep her from continuing with the band and because she wasn't with the band she rescinded her copyright permission on the songs that were hers. So for saving my ass from the one conversation with my sister I wanted to avoid at all costs, I appreciated what he did. What I didn't appreciate was the fact he used that knowledge at every opportunity to remind me he felt I had made a mistake. I knew Jake's reasons for keeping quiet with my sister were only to keep from having anymore drama, not any type of altruistic act toward me on his part.

"It's always about the album with you, isn't it, man? It wouldn't have mattered if it were my fault. The only thing you give a shit about is the album, huh?"

Jake and I stared each other down for a long moment before he took a deep breath.

"No, it's not always about the album….just stay away from her, Seth. I mean it."

I tipped my chin at him with a grunt before turning back to the sound board in front of me and I let the subject drop, for the moment.

The next morning, I made my way out of my hotel room and down the street to the Starbucks which had become a regular stop on my way to the studio.

"Oompf."

The air whooshed out of me and my arms automatically wrapped around whatever body it was that slammed into me as I stepped inside the door.

"Oh, God! I'm so sorry," an angelic voice squeaked.

"S'alright," I said, laughing as the woman pulled back slightly to look up at me.

I felt the air leave my lungs once again and my jaw unhinge as I stared down into the face that had haunted my dreams the night before.

"Hi," she whispered, a hint of a smile pulling at her full pink lips.

"Hi," I said.

"Um….you can let go of me now. I'm not going to fall, I don't think," she said, a beautiful pink tint coloring her cheeks.

"What?" I asked stupidly, realization dawning on me that I still had my arms wrapped around her, crushing her to me.

"I'm sorry," I jerked away from her, totally mortified at my awkwardness. "Uh…really, sorry…Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine-"

"Hey, Seth," Sara said, smiling as she stepped up behind Angela.

"Huh," I said, a bit dazed from the ghost sensation of still having Angela in my arms. "Oh, um… hi, Sara. How are you this morning?"

"I'm good," she said, looking at me with a quirked brow. "So I guess you met Angela, huh?"

"Um….I kind of bounced off of him actually, but we haven't been properly introduced. I know who you are, though. I saw you in the studio yesterday," she said, holding out her hand to me. "Angela Webber. It's nice to finally meet you, Seth."

"It's nice to meet you, too, Angela," I said, taking her hand in mine and having the strangest sensation that I didn't want to let go- _ever._ "You have a beautiful voice."

"Ah…thank you," she said, a slight tinge of pink coloring her cheeks once again as she looked down to where I was still holding her hand in mine.

I dropped it quickly, and realizing I had stepped closer to her, I took a step back. I ran a hand over my hair and looked at the floor, trying to fight off the awkwardness of the situation and the butterflies in my stomach.

_God, could you be any more of a lame idiot! Butterflies? Jesus, you are such a pansy,_ I thought as an uncomfortable silence stretched for what seemed like an eternity.

"Are you on your way to the studio?" Sara asked, breaking the silence and smiling knowingly as she took a sip of her coffee.

"Uh….yeah, that where you two are headed?" I said, continuing to look at Angela as I spoke to Sara.

"Yeah, we are, you want to walk with?"

My head snapped in Sara's direction. Her knowing smirk made the tips of my ears burn with embarrassment.

"Uh…well, I wouldn't want you guys to hang around waiting on me to get my order. I –"

"No, we'll wait," Angela said, she was staring a hole in her cup and that little pink tinge was on her cheeks again. "It would be nice to get to know you a little better since we're going to be working together and all….."

I felt my eyes widen slightly and I looked between Sara and Angela, feeling the smile begin to spread across my face.

"Yeah….yeah, that's a good idea, since we're working together and all," I nodded, suddenly feeling as though I were walking on air.

I made my way to the barista to place my order and a few moments later I was rejoining Sara and Angela just outside on the sidewalk.

The walk to the studio was quite possibly the best fifteen minutes of my life. Angela was ridiculously funny and a little on the smart ass side when she opened up a bit more. I liked it.

That morning, something passed between Angela and me. For the next two weeks, we met outside Starbucks before getting a coffee and walking to the studio together.

Sara only joined us for the first few mornings and then it seemed she figured out we really wanted to be alone to talk.

It wasn't long before our meetings started earlier and earlier, allowing for more time to spend together under the guise of grabbing a bite to eat along with our coffee before making the walk to the studio.

I began to realize that my feelings for Angela were more than I had felt for anyone in a very long time.

The knowledge that Jacob would be pissed when he found out about our morning routine and that I didn't back off seeing her wasn't really a deterrent - at all. I also knew it wouldn't matter when he found out that we hadn't actually gone out on an official date. So, with that thought, I figured I was ready to take the plunge and change that little factoid.

I had myself all pumped up to ask her out for a real date the next morning when we met for coffee. I prepared exactly what I was going to say and had it all worked out in my mind how it would go. Of course, when I saw her that morning every word completely left my brain like sand through a sieve.

"Hi," I said, handing her a Grande Caramel Macchiato, which was her coffee of choice.

"Hi, yourself," she snickered, taking the coffee. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Um…so, Angela-" she spoke over me before I could get myself geared up for the great question.

"Oh, I've wanted to ask you for a while now, would like to have dinner with me? Like I want to cook for you, if you would like to," she said, bringing the cup to her mouth.

A breath caught in my chest as I stood there staring at her like a fish out of water, opening and closing my mouth, unable to speak. Evidently she took my inability to form words as a refusal of her invitation.

"Um…never mind. I…its okay, just thought I would ask," she said, turning to walk down the sidewalk.

It took a few seconds for my brain to kick in and I took off after her.

"Wait, Angela," I called.

I took her arm as I reached her, turning her back to face me.

"I'm sorry. Angela, really I was just shocked is all. Before you got here I was trying to work-up the guts to ask you out properly, so it kind of knocked me off kilter when you asked first. I would love to have dinner with you, but you don't have to cook. I'll make reservations and I'll take you out on the town."

"Seth, that's really sweet, but I want to cook for you," she said, placing her hand on my forearm and looking up into my eyes.

I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face as I looked into her deep mocha eyes. Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, I brushed her cheek with the tips of my fingers and curled them around her neck.

Running my thumb along her jaw, my eyes drifted to her full bottom lip.

"I would love for you to cook for me, Angela," I said, my heart pounding in my chest.

_Shit, I'm in love with this girl…._ I knew it was true as I stared at her; she smiled at me, leaning in to place her hand in the center of my chest.

"May I kiss you?"

She sucked in a sharp breath and then nodded as I bent to bring my lips to hers.

Her lips were so incredibly soft as they molded to mine. Still holding my coffee, I slid an arm around her waist and her shoulders to pull her closer. Angela slid a hand up my chest and into my hair, holding me to her as she wrapped her other around my waist.

Brushing my tongue along her bottom lip, she sighed and tilted her head as she opened for me. I slipped my tongue inside over her teeth, and when our tongues met I felt as though my head was going to explode right along with my heart, which was at least double in size from my emotions.

_Yep, Imma gonner_.

Plain and simple, that was absolutely the best kiss of my entire life. My body protested profusely as I pulled back, slowing the kiss to tiny pecks before I pressed my forehead to hers, more than a little out of breath.

I kept my eyes closed, trying to rein in all that I felt with the realization that I was hopelessly in love with this woman.

"Wow," she breathed.

I nodded slightly because I couldn't find my voice at the moment. We stood like that for a long moment, her hand still buried in the hair at the nape of my neck, my arms wrapped around her, holding her to me.

"I guess we better get to the studio," she whispered, her warm breath blowing over my face.

"Yeah," I said, my voice strained.

I struggled to gain some perspective over the fact that I was completely head over heels for the angel in my arms.

I stepped back, took her hand, and started down the sidewalk with her at my side.

"So, Seth, you and Angela have a date tonight, huh?" My sister laughed and winked at me as she fell onto the sofa next to me.

We had been back at the hotel for only about a half hour after a ridiculously frustrating session.

"Uh…yeah," I said, turning and quirking an eyebrow at her. "How'd you know that?"

"Oh, I overheard Angela saying something to Sara earlier and I asked her about it. For some reason she thought I would be upset about it. Why would she think that? I really like her a lot and she's been awesome with what she's doing with our sound," Leah continued to go on about how much she like Angela and she thought it was great that we were going out.

I really couldn't concentrate on anything she was saying because all my attention was focused on the powder keg with a lit fuse sitting opposite me in the arm chair.

"I think I'm going to head back to our room. You have fun tonight, 'k?" Leah said as she stood from the sofa, patting my leg.

"Jake, you coming?" She called over her shoulder as she reached the door.

"Yeah, in a bit, I need to talk to Seth for a minute," he said, never breaking eye contact with me.

"Um…okay," she said, drawing out the word and looking between us. "Is there something I need to know about here?"

"Nope," I said, "Jake and I just need to take care of a little business."

"Yeah, sweetie," Jake said, turning on that million watt smile of his and crossing the room to kiss her cheek before sending her out the door. "It's all good, just a little man talk."

I stood from the sofa and waited for the shit to hit the fan, knowing it wouldn't take long. I was ready for him as soon as the door clicked into place.

"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" he asked, coming at me like a bull, getting as close as he possibly could, punching a finger into my chest and growling in my face. "I thought I made it pretty fucking clear you were not to get involved with that girl. We can't afford to lose Angela because the two of you get into some kind of lover's spat drama shit like what went down with Caren. The stuff Angela has brought to our sound is far and away better than anything Caren ever dreamed up…..you are not going out with her; you are not going to pursue this any further. Do you understand me, little brother?"

I bit the inside of my jaw until the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth, my hands curled into fists as I gave him all the time he needed to blow whatever gasket it was he needed to over this situation. When I was sure he had finished, I was going to set the record straight on a few things.

"Are you finished?" I asked.

"What?" he spat.

I was at the complete end of my rope with his attitude. I knew he had been stressed with the pacing of the album and that things with the producer weren't exactly ideal, but what was going on between Angela and I was not a subject which was up for debate, especially with him.

"Are you finished?" I repeated, working hard to keep my voice even and continued before he could answer. "Goddamnit, Jacob, this is not something that you can dictate to me, you understand me? Caren was nothing. She was a girl I went out with a couple of times. I didn't even sleep with her, you hear? You need to listen up and get this through that thick ass skull of yours, 'cause I ain't repeating myself on this one." I looked him in the eye, my body vibrating with the level of pissed off boiling in my blood.

"When you and Leah hooked up, I never once got in your way. I wasn't always sure you were the right one for her, but I didn't get in your way. I stayed out of your way because she loved you and I was pretty damn sure you felt the same way about her. Angela is not just any girl to me.

"I love her, Jacob, and I'm telling you right now, brother-in-law or not, you get in my way….you do anything to try and stop what I might have found with this woman, and I will end you. You feel me?"

Jacob's expression went from totally pissed off to shock.

"Holy hell," he breathed. "You're…..you're really in love with this girl, aren't you?"

I turned my back on him and crossed the room, making my way to the kitchenette. I grabbed a beer from the fridge and downed half of it before nodding.

"Well damn, Seth, I don't know what to say," Jake said, shaking his head and shoving his hands in his pockets.

"There's nothing for you to say," I said, taking another pull from my beer. "Just don't tell me not to pursue her, because that's not going to happen."

He nodded his head and dropped his eyes to the floor. "You know I just didn't want to see you get hurt, Seth. It really wasn't all about the album, and you know….sometimes I'm just an ass, can't help it really."

"Yeah," I snorted, "I know. You want a beer before I kick you out so I can get ready?"

"Uh…yeah, thanks," he said, running a big hand through his hair.

I crossed back to where he stood and held out the beer for him.

"Thanks," he said, taking the beer and twisting the bottle open. "Uh…okay…well, shit, I'm sorry, really. Are we cool, man?"

I looked at him for a long moment and took another pull before I grinned at him, "Yeah, man, we're cool, but I meant what I said. Don't try to stop me or mess with her."

He nodded, tipped his beer to me, and took a long draw.

Forty-five minutes later, I was making my way out of the hotel and stopped in my tracks as Angela's voice wafted to me from the curb.

"Hey," she laughed as she pushed off a white Porsche 911.

"Hey," I said, crossing to where she stood and bending to place a kiss to her cheek. "Nice wheels. I didn't realize you had a car since you're always walking."

"Pfft, this old thing," she scoffed, a smirk on her face as she looked over her shoulder at the car. "Yeah, it was a gift when I graduated college, from my mom."

A wistful expression crossed over her as she turned back to look at me before the smile was back on her face.

"I've been staying with Sara since I got the gig with you guys. Her apartment is just down the street from the Starbucks where we've been meeting up. It's easier than commuting back and forth," she shrugged. "So are you ready to be dazzled by my mad cooking skills?" she asked, laughing.

"Yes, ma'am," I said, clapping my hands together. "Let's get this show on the road. I'm starved and can't wait to see what you've whipped up."

I rounded the car, holding open her door before folding myself into the passenger seat. I'll only say this - it was no easy feat, but since we were going to her house for dinner it only made sense for her to drive.

We fell into easy conversation as she maneuvered through the streets of downtown Nashville. The drive to her house was a short twenty minutes outside the city limits, but the landscape changed drastically. Before I realized it, we were stopped in front of a massive iron gate. She rolled down her window, punched in some numbers on a little key pad, and the gates began to swing open.

"Holy shit, Angela, this is where you live?" I was stunned as we made our way up the long winding drive as the huge…..mansion? Plantation house, maybe? Yeah, it was more a plantation house, came into sight.

White washed walls, huge white columns standing at least thirty feet from floor to roof. The front porch went on forever with white wicker furniture arranged in neat sitting areas at measured intervals.

It literally looked like the Tara house in _Gone with the Wind. _I looked around expecting Scarlett to sashay out the front door at any moment.

Yes, I'd seen the movie enough times to know about the Tara plantation and who Scarlett O'Hara was. Don't judge, Vivian Leigh was hot. That red dress scene rocked my world when I was thirteen.

I turned back to look at Angela, knowing the expression on my face had to be something between complete shock and utter awe.

Angela turned a few shades of red and ducked her head slightly as she put the car in park.

"Yeah, this is where I grew up. It's my mom's family home….it's been in the family for, God, I don't even remember how many generations. My mom and I….well, I guess it's mine, but it still feels like," she paused, looking at the house with a slightly sad expression.

"Angela," I said as I cupped her cheek with my hand.

She leaned into my touch and closed her eyes for a moment before looking at me with a watery smile.

"It's been five years, but I still miss her like crazy," she breathed.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," I said, sliding my hand to her neck and pulling her closer to me as I leaned over to press a kiss to her forehead and then both cheeks.

"Thank you," she said, pulling back to look at me. "But you know I have a lot of great memories here, that's why I keep the house. It's ridiculous, really. I don't want nor need this much room, but I just can't seem to get up the courage to sell it."

Angela told me during our mornings together about her childhood and her mother who had passed away after fighting breast cancer for several years.

"Come on, you'll get a kick out of the inside. I haven't really changed a lot of the décor. It's so my mom, I just couldn't do it," she laughed lightly, the heaviness of the previous moments lifting immediately.

We exited the car and made our way up the front steps. Angela slipped a key in the lock and turned to look at me over her shoulder with a devious smile on her face.

"You ready for this? It's where I grew up, not really who I am, 'k?"

"Angela, this is your family home, I want to know about that part of your life."

"Alright, I warned ya," she flipped the lock, pushed the door open and stepped inside.

I followed close behind as the area was awash in soft white light from a chandelier hanging from what had to be a twenty foot ceiling in the foyer.

The area opened into a vestibule with a staircase. Not just any staircase. It was like the ones you see in those old thirties and forties movies. The kind that split in the middle and curve around a massive table with a big ass flower arrangement on them…yeah, that's what I saw.

The floor was a white marble with a black vein running throughout in varying patterns; the steps were the same white and black marble. A scrolling wrought iron railing curved gracefully from a balcony type landing on the second floor.

"You've got to be kidding me?" I breathed as I took in the area that surrounded me.

"I told ya, my mom's family was really into grandeur. She was cool with it all, but it wasn't ever really my style. I'm a lot more simple than all this, but the house makes me feel close to her, so that's why I stay," she said, stepping around me to make her way toward a room to the left of the grand entrance.

"This is one of my favorite rooms in the house," she said, reaching for a light switch on the wall and soft lighting from can lights flooded the room.

"Wow, Angela, this is beautiful," I said, following her into the library.

"Thanks. It's one of the few rooms I redecorated after mom passed. I didn't really change a lot, just made it more…..me, I guess?"

The walls were a warm yellow above the judge's paneled lower half, which was now a stark white. Large deep red overstuffed chairs and sofas sat in front of a fireplace along one wall framed by bookshelves. A feminine cherry wood desk sat along an opposite wall, backed by floor to ceiling white bookshelves. Under the windows, which looked out over the front porch and beautifully landscaped front lawn, was a window seat filled with red and yellow throw pillows. It definitely looked like the perfect place to curl up and spend a lazy afternoon getting lost in a book.

I could imagine at one time the room was much darker than what I saw before me, and I think I understood what she meant by she had made it more her. The grandeur and formality had been toned down and the edges were softer. There was a welcoming, comfortable feeling to the room.

I liked the feeling, a lot.

"Angela, this is amazing." I smiled down at her as she stood at my side and took my hand.

"Thank you, I really love this room," she said, leading me inside.

"Have a seat," she gestured toward one of the sofas in the sitting area in front of the fireplace. "Would you like a drink before dinner?"

"Um…yeah, sure, thank you," I said, crossing the room toward where she indicated and sitting back on the sofa.

I continued to take in the room as she made her way toward a small bar in the far corner of the room.

I noticed silver frames which were placed in strategic areas all along the bookshelves closest to where I sat. I could see snapshots of who had to be Angela's mom; it was like looking at a picture of Angela now in a different time.

One picture in particular caught my attention and I stood to get a closer look. I picked up the frame and stared at the image before me, not really believing what I was seeing with my own eyes.

"Here ya go," Angela said, handing me a glass of red and smiling at the picture I held in my hand.

"Thanks," I said, taking the glass. "Uh…is that really…" I trailed off.

"Yep, that would be exactly who you think it is, he and my mom were close."

"Angela, is he your d-"

"No," she laughed, crossing back to the sofa.

She sat, kicked off her shoes and curled her legs under her before she turned to look at me with a longing smile on her face as she glanced at the picture I still held in my hand.

Taking a long sip of her wine, she sat the glass on the table behind the sofa.

"He's not my father, but there were so many times I wished he was. It would have been so much easier….. My father really wasn't the involved type, if you know what I mean," she met my gaze and there was a sadness in her deep brown eyes.

I made my way back to sit next to her on the sofa. Placing my glass on the table by hers, I stretched my arm along the back of the sofa and leaned in close.

Taking her free hand in mine, I laced our fingers together and stared at our entwined hands as she continued to tell me what it was like growing up in the music business. She talked about how although her mother and father weren't married, she never really felt cheated by him not being around. She explained it was more that she knew the guy in her mom's life, the man in the picture, wasn't her real father, even though she loved him dearly.

Angela's mom had at one time been a big name artist in country music. She had traveled with most every headliner during the sixty's and seventy's, finally returning to Nashville permanently after she got pregnant with Angela.

They had lived here ever since, thank God, because otherwise she and I might not have met, and that was something I wasn't willing to even consider as a possibility.

I looked up to meet Angela's gaze and smiled. Reaching out, I took a lock of her hair between my fingers. The dark chocolate silk slid across my skin whisper soft for me to take it again, over and over.

"Angela," I murmured, watching the lock of hair slide through my fingers. "I need to tell you something."

When I looked up to meet her eyes, I was struck once again by her beauty. I framed her face between both of my palms and she wrapped her long fingers around my wrists.

"Seth," she whispered, as I leaned in, bringing my lips to hers in a slow, sensual kiss.

"I'm in love with you, Angela," I said against her lips before covering her mouth once again.

Sliding her hands up my arms and over my shoulders, she threaded those long fingers into my hair and held me to her. I swept my tongue along her bottom lip, and she sighed and opened to me.

No kiss, no touch, no woman had ever made me drunk with sensations, but that's exactly how I felt as I explored the nirvana of this woman in my arms.

I shifted on the sofa, bringing my body closer to hers as I slid my hands down over her neck to the supple skin of her bare shoulders peeking out from her dress. I ghosted my thumbs over her collarbones as I deepened the kiss, delving further into her mouth, stroking her tongue with my own.

She released a deep satisfied sound from the back of her throat as I felt my body's reaction in the growing bulge in my pants.

Moving my hands over her shoulders to wrap around her back and pulling her into my lap, I broke the kiss to drag my lips over her jaw, nipping, licking, and tasting my way to her ear. I took the lobe of her ear between my teeth, sucking gently; she turned her head, granting me full access to the graceful column of her neck. I took the invitation greedily, working down to the curve where her shoulder and neck met.

"God, you're so beautiful," I whispered against her skin.

One of her hands ran over my shoulder and down my back as the other continued to hold my face to her neck. The biting of her nails into my skin, even through the fabric of my shirt, made me tremble with need, and the erection I was sporting was becoming painful.

I slid a hand up her side, brushing the underside of her breast with my thumb before I cupped her breast in my palm.

Taking the skin over her pulse point between my lips, I felt the pebbling of her nipple against my palm. I thought my head would explode when she moaned and pressed herself into my hand, her hips undulating against mine. I couldn't stop the movement I made to press myself against her, hissing at the friction it created.

I felt as though my entire body was on fire and I knew I was reaching critical mass. If I didn't put the kibosh on this downhill slide, there would be no turning back in a very short time because I wouldn't be able to stop.

"Oh, God….Angela, I…we need to stop," I finally breathed, pulling back slightly.

"Why?" she asked, her body stiffened as her hands froze in place and her voice cracked. "I thought….I thought you, oh god…I," she pushed at my shoulders and started to move off my lap.

I grabbed her thighs and looked up to see tears shining in her eyes. Cursing under my breath, I cupped her face in my palm and shook my head.

"Wait, baby, I didn't mean that I don't want you," I pressed my lips to hers gently. "I just don't want you thinking that was what tonight was about. I didn't tell you that I'm in love with you to just get you to have sex with me. I meant what I said and I don't want you to think anything else is going on here, but if we don't stop this right now…." I trailed off with a low chuckle. "Let's just say I'm hangin' on to my control by a really thin thread."

I brushed the hair away from her face, taking in every plane, every line, every curve of her face, before looking into her eyes once again.

"What if I don't want you to stop?" she whispered. "What if I told you that I'm in love with you, too?"

I sucked in a sharp breath as she met my gaze with a steady look. My heart stuttered and took off in a rapid rhythm as her words washed over me.

"Can you say that again….please?" I whispered, squeezing my eyes closed and taking a deep breath.

"I'm in love with you, Seth, and I don't think tonight was about getting into my bed. I love you and I want this just as much as you do," she said, placing a hand to my cheek. "I want this, Seth. I want you."

"Oh God," I groaned as I crashed my mouth to hers once again.

She moaned as she opened to me and I deepened the kiss, sliding my tongue into her mouth.

Her hands moved over my shoulders and down my chest. With trembling fingers, she began releasing the buttons and broke our kiss to trail her lips over my jaw and sucked the lobe of my ear between her lips.

"I…ugh, God, that feels good," I ground out when she lightly bit my collarbone.

My brain was scrambled with all the adrenaline and lust running through it at that moment. I couldn't think straight, but I needed to say…..something.

"Ah…God, Angela…" I trailed off as she placed a kiss to the hollow of my throat. I shifted, pressing my erection into her core once again, and a sexy moan fell from her lips.

I slid my hand down her side, over the curve of her waist to her hip and tightening my grip on the soft flesh for a moment before continuing down to wrap my fingers around the outside of her thigh. The silky fabric of her skirt was pushed up to where her unbelievable leg joined her body and I worked the tip of my fingers under until I felt the edge of her panties.

"Angela," I sighed as I turned my head, bringing my lips back to hers.

Slipping my fingers under the lace of her underwear, I gently moved my hand around to cup the soft flesh of her behind, pulling her hips tighter into mine.

"Oh, God, Seth," she breathed.

My heart did a flip-flop at the sound of my name on her lips. It suddenly occurred to me what we were doing and that I had _not _prepared for such a development. I jerked back, breaking our connection to look at her wide eyed expression.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I….oh, God, Angela I really didn't prepare for this, I mean I had no intentions of things going like this tonight….I didn't um…I don't have any protection. I'm sorry….I just did-,"

I stopped short and stared at her like she had lost her mind when she began laughing, because my body found nothing what-so-freaking-ever funny about the situation.

"Seth," she snorted, "you weren't lying when you said you didn't want me to think this was just about getting me in bed, did you?"

I shook my head and felt my brow furrow in confusion, still not finding the funny.

"I'm going to ask you this and I'm trusting that you will give me an honest answer. Okay?" she said, the smile still on her face though I could tell she was completely serious. "Are you clean? Like you know what I mean, right? There's nothing I need to be worried about, right?"

I shook my head. I hadn't been with very many women, but had always used protection and I had recently had a check up, everything was a go in that department.

"Good, so am I and I just got my Depo shot, so we're all good, right? No worries about stuff and I'm not going to get pregnant so….." she trailed off, quirking an eyebrow and smirking.

If I thought my brain was scrambled before, it was complete puree as I tried to process what she had actually just said to me….surely I heard her wrong.

"Are you saying that you're okay with-" She was already nodding her head before I could finish my question.

"I'm fine with it. I trust you. I love you," she said on a whisper as she brushed the hair back from my forehead. "Stop thinking so much, Seth, and kiss me."

_Well, damn…_

I didn't have to be asked twice as I covered her mouth with mine and she wrapped her arms around my shoulders.

The thought came to me that I needed to move us off this sofa. Taking her in the library on a cramped little couch was not the way I pictured our first time together.

I broke our kiss and sat up, taking her with me as I stood. She giggled as her arms locked around my neck and her legs went around my waist instantly.

Kissing her deeply, I made my way toward that star worthy staircase.

"Which way to your room, baby?" I asked against her lips as I reached the bottom step.

"Top of the stairs, hallway to the left, last door on the right," she whispered, pressing open mouthed kisses to my throat.

I found the door and pushed it open to be greeted by yet another room that screamed Angela.

A bedside lamp cast a soft glow over the soft creamy white walls. The floors were a rich, honeyed hardwood. The object which caught my full attention was the king size canopy bed sitting in the center of two floor to ceiling windows.

Sheer gossamer fabric hung loosely from the canopy and the bed was covered in a bright white duvet with small aqua blue accent pillows. It looked like a room from one of those high end vacation spots that you read about movie stars and rock stars visiting.

I kicked the door closed behind me as I made my way toward the bed. Laying her gently on the bed, I stood to shrug out of my shirt and toe off my shoes.

She began to pull the tie of her dress and I shook my head. "I want to do that."

She giggled and I watched as she scooted up the bed, throwing the pillows out of her way and shoving the duvet down before sliding under the sheets.

As quickly as I could, I worked my belt loose and dropped my slacks to the floor.

Smirking, she held the sheet open for me as I crawled atop the bed. Stretching out beside her and resting on bent elbow, I pulled her to me, bringing her lips to mine once again. She sighed as I rolled her onto her back, half covering her body with my chest.

Kissing the soft skin just behind her ear, I slowly pulled the tie of her wrap dress. The silky material made a whispering sound as it slid free of the knot.

I traced the line of the deep V across her chest to her collarbone and back down.

Flattening my palm, I slid my hand under the fabric, pushing it from her body like opening a beautifully wrapped gift to reveal the cream of her skin.

Slowly, she slid her arms from the dress and arched her back. She slid it from under her body, tossing it into the room with a flick of her wrist.

A breath caught in my throat as my eyes swept over the swell of her breast and took in the black lace of her bra.

The heat in my body rose as I continued over her body with my eyes, my hand following the same path, down to her toned flat abdomen, the soft curve of her hip, to find the black lace of her matching panties.

"You are so beautiful," I murmured, bringing my lips to hers once again, because it had been too long since I kissed her.

I brought my hand up to cup her breast, brushing my thumb over the hardened nipple once again as I kissed my way down the column of her sensual neck and rolled until I was lying on top of her.

Spreading her thighs, she welcomed me in the cradle of her hips, wrapping her arms around my shoulders.

She ran a hand over the skin of my back, causing me to tremble at her touch as my hips shifted, pushing my erection into her. I sucked a breath through my teeth as the heat of her core seeped through my boxer briefs with this new position.

Angela whispered my name softly against the skin of my shoulder as she placed open mouthed kisses along my collarbone.

Never had I been so affected by a woman, and I didn't want it to stop. Staying in the moment for the rest of my life was the only option acceptable.

I should have been terrified by that thought, but I wasn't….at all.

Her sounds were driving me insane and I really needed to be inside of her, but I wanted to take my time, show her how much she meant to me, prove to her that this wasn't just about the sex. I just wasn't sure how much longer I could hold out.

"I love you," I said, sucking the skin just over her pulse point.

She breathed my name as I felt her nails bite into my shoulder and I groaned at the sensation that shot straight to my groin.

Slowly making my way down to the hollow of her throat, I put my mouth on every inch of her skin, unable to get enough of the taste. The honey sweetness was intoxicating and it struck me that I was completely and totally drunk from nothing but her.

She should bottle this stuff and sell it on the open market. She would make a killing. No, scratch that, ain't nobody tasting this little slice of heaven but me….ever.

I traced the curved edge of her bra over the beautiful swell of her breast with the tip of my finger as I made a trail of open mouthed kisses down the center of her chest.

Turning my head slightly, I kissed the side of one breast and then the other. Dipping my fingertips below the fabric of her bra, I pushed it out of the way and felt the softness of her flesh in contrast to the hardened tip.

Taking her breast in my hand, I circled the nipple with my thumb, watching the tiny pink bud tighten, and she arched into my touch.

Not able to wait another moment, I took her nipple between my lips, licking at the little pink pearl with my tongue before suckling her gently.

Her hands shot to my hair, burying those long fingers and holding me in place.

I palmed the opposite breast as I continued to suckle her, loving the way she moved under me, making tiny mewling noises as I pulled back and blew a warm breath over the damp skin.

"Ah…God, Seth," she moaned, her head thrown back, the dark falls of her hair spread out over the white pillow.

Sliding my hand around to her back, I made quick work of the clasp and slowly removed the delicate silk and lace from her body.

"I want to see you, baby," I said, smiling into her eyes as she moved her arms, allowing me to pull the bra away from her body.

I dipped my head and took her breast in my mouth once again. Sweeping a hand down her side over the curve of her hip, my fingers bit into the flesh of her thigh. I hitched her leg over my hip and shifted into her, gaining a sexy groan from her.

Bringing my hand up between our bodies, I found her core. My heartbeat soared as the tips of my fingers felt the wetness there.

"Oh, God, Angela….I want you so much," I ground out, nipping at the side of her breast and kissing the center of her chest.

"Will you let me taste you?" I asked, holding my breath, praying to all things holy she wouldn't say no, because I _so_ needed to taste her.

I wanted to completely consume her in every way possible.

I pulled back to look at her as the silence stretched on for what felt like an eternity. Her eyes were wide and her breaths were coming in short little pants.

"It's okay, baby, if you don't want-," she cut me off before I could tell her that I wouldn't press her if it made her uncomfortable.

I mean, it was an immensely intimate thing I was asking to do, so if she wasn't on board for it, I wouldn't do it regardless of how much I wanted it.

"Yes," she breathed.

"Are you sure?" I asked and she nodded with a smile before she placed her hands on my cheeks, pulling me to her lips once more.

"Stop asking me if I'm sure about everything. I want you, all of you. It just shocked me that you asked….no one's ever done that before," her face tinged pink.

"Well, they were a fool and you were not treated properly then," I said, cupping her jaw in my palm and rubbing my thumb over her bottom lip.

"You can't be for real….you're too good to be true, do you know that?"

"No, I'm not….I'm just a man with a woman in his arms that deserves to be worshipped. I want to make you feel good, baby, but I won't do anything you don't want me to, ever," I said, kissing her long and gentle before making my way down the center of her body.

Kissing down her neck, to her chest and then over her abdomen, dipping my tongue in her navel. I smiled as she giggled.

I shifted back on my haunches, kneeling over her as I slowly removed her panties.

The sight that greeted me took my breath away.

"Oh, God….you're so perfect," I breathed.

Angela's hands came up to brush the hair away from my forehead as she looked me in the eye.

"Touch me, Seth…..please," she said, her voice low and husky as she continued to run her fingers through my hair.

How could I resist such a sweet request? Yeah, I couldn't.

I wrapped my hands around her hips as I bent to place a kiss just below her navel, then to the area where her leg met her hip, first one side then the other.

I moved to press my lips right over the top of her slit before dipping lower.

The moment my mouth was on her, as the taste of her hit my tongue, I only had one thought and it was that I had literally found heaven.

There were no words that would describe the ecstasy I felt as I licked her sex.

She moaned, arching her back and rolling her hips against my mouth. I lost myself in the ministrations and the joy I felt from giving her such pleasure.

I shifted, bringing my fingers to ghost around her opening, slowly circling before pushing forward with one finger then withdrawing and pushing forward again a little further as I continued to lick at her.

I scraped my teeth along the top of her sex as I added a second finger and it took only a moment before I felt her walls begin to tighten around my fingers.

"Oh, God, Seth," she cried as she fell off the cliff, fisting the sheet in both her hands.

I kissed along the inside of her thighs and just over her pubic bone as she slowly came back down.

"Seth," she panted. "Oh...Jesus, that was…."

I chuckled as I pushed my boxer-briefs from my body and crawled over her, once again settling myself between her legs.

I felt the slick heat of her core brush against my tip and I groaned at the sensation, dropping my head to her shoulder.

Angela wrapped her arms around my back and swiveled her hips, causing the friction to intensify and drawing another moan from my body.

"Take me, Seth," she whispered into my ear, causing my entire body to shiver at the electricity that shot down my spine. "I'm yours….I love you."

"I love you, too," I murmured against her shoulder as I pushed forward and entered her.

The sensations that shot through my body were like a live wire worming through my blood. My entire body was on fire, it was as if she was the cooling salve that soothed me and set me afire at the same time.

Our bodies moved together, joining and retreating. I had never felt so much at one time, and as I found the perfect rhythm, I knew this first time wasn't going to be long, feeling the coil rolling in my lower abdomen set to spring at a rapidly approaching moment.

The burning in the pit of my stomach increased as Angela's mouth found mine and her tongue entered to stroke mine as her hips met me move for move, taking and giving.

"Ah…God, Angela…you feel so good, baby," I moaned as the coil tightened and my rhythm increased.

Arching my back I moved my hand between us and found the right spot. I began working her in short, tight, circular movements and whispered to her, begging her to fall for me once again.

I felt her body tighten around me, her nails bite into my skin, and she threw her head back as her ecstasy washed over her.

It was as if her fall was the key to the lock for the spring in my belly, and when it released the orgasm shot through me like an electric shock.

I threw my head back and a guttural growl started in my chest and burst out of my throat as I emptied everything I had into her.

I collapsed on top of her, completely spent as she stroked my back and ran her fingers through my hair as I nuzzled into her neck.

I knew I was too heavy lying on top of her, but I couldn't move, couldn't get my body to listen to the commands my brain was sending out for it to move off her.

I started to roll off, but she tightened her arms and wrapped her calves around the back of my thighs before she whispered, "No, don't leave yet….just stay right where you are for a little longer….please."

"I'm not going anywhere, baby," I said, kissing her neck and settling back down, trying to hold some of my full weight on my forearms as she held onto me.

After a long moment, I finally rolled to my side, slipping from her warmth and tucking her into my side. I kissed her forehead and brushed the hair away from her face. God, she was so beautiful, she truly made my heart stop just looking at her in that moment.

"I'm so glad I found you," I said, my voice tight with the emotions running through me at that moment. "I love you."

"Stay….stay with me, Seth. I don't want you to leave…..ever."

* * *

**There you have it...Seth and Angela and their HEA. Hope you enjoyed a little journey into their lives and how they fell in love. **

**Thank you to all of you once again who have loved MMB and I know many of you, like Jessica1971, love Seth. **

**Until next time...**

**xoxoxoxoxo**

**bellasunderstudy1  
**


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